


Shatter the World

by EHyde, hanyounomiko



Series: Red Sky at Morning [2]
Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, alternate universe - everything changed when the fire nation attacked
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-04-04 03:18:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4123800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EHyde/pseuds/EHyde, https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanyounomiko/pseuds/hanyounomiko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since a chance rescue when she was six, Princess Yona has wanted to have the strength to change her world for the better. Her chance arrives shortly after she turns sixteen. But with her father dead, her friends scattered, and Kan Soo-jin on her throne, Yona finds changing the world to be a bit more than she bargained for.</p><p>This is a sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/3990052/chapters/8958805">Watch How I Soar.</a></p><p>THIS FIC IS OFFICIALLY ON HIATUS</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

A cool evening breeze whipped through one of Hiryuu Castle’s many courtyards. It was Princess Yona’s sixteenth birthday, but even though the entire day was meant to be a celebration in her honor, she felt trapped. Lords and ladies from across the Sky Tribe, and even some from Kouka’s other four tribes, had come to bring her beautiful gifts, but they hardly knew her. The princess they were congratulating was one who only existed in their minds: an extension of her father’s reign, with no concerns of her own, no thoughts for the future. Finally, as the setting sun cast a pale pink glow over the palace, she managed to escape and find the one guest whose company she _did_ welcome. “There you are, Soo-won!” Even though her cousin had been at the palace for nearly a week—his longest visit in months—it felt like she’d hardly had a chance to talk to him at all. “Do you really have to leave tomorrow?”

“Sorry, Princess, you know I do.” He smiled, and the notion that he might have been deliberately avoiding her fled from her mind. Still, though—

“Hmph!” Deliberate or not, it was frustrating. “And you won’t even tell me why you have to go!” At least he’d told her _where_ he was going—not just back to his estate, but all the way to the Earth Tribe, to see General Geun-tae. “I wish I could go with you.”

“You know I’d take you if I could.”

“I can go ask Father … it’s my birthday, so maybe he’ll relent …” The king never let Yona travel outside the city. Or even to the city, for that matter—that was something Yona had to do in secret, and finding opportunities to do so wasn’t as easy as it used to be. “After all, I’m a grown woman now!”

Soo-won held up a hand. “Don’t.”

“… huh?”

“It’s just, I haven’t told the king I’m traveling to the Earth tribe. I’d rather he didn’t know.”

 _And you won’t tell me what you’re going to do there …_ more and more, it was feeling like the king wasn’t the only one who treated Yona like a child. “It’s not … that you don’t want me with you?”

“Of course not!” Soo-won smiled and patted her head. “If I could take you away from the city …”

But if Yona could leave the city, things would be different already. When they were both younger, they’d sneak out of the palace together to visit the town, and even though Soo-won was able to spend a lot more time in the city than Yona was, he’d always tell her what he’d been doing. Well, most of it. All the important stuff. _You, me, and Hak—we were a team._ But sneaking out of the palace was one thing; leaving the city was something else entirely. Since he’d gotten older, Soo-won had been able to travel all over the kingdom, while Yona remained behind. Now, she didn’t know even half of the things he did. Maybe Yona was kidding herself if she said they used to be close—maybe she’d always been a little child looking up to him, but— _I should be getting closer to him, not falling further and further behind!_

“Don’t worry too much,” Hak had said, when Yona complained to him. “Once you two are married, the king won’t be able to keep you from going with Soo-won.”

 _Trust Hak to bring that up._ “It’s not about that!” she’d yelled back, and he’d dropped the subject. Of course Yona would marry Soo-won someday. Kind, gentle Soo-won, who’d taught her so many things—she couldn’t imagine marrying anyone else. _If I marry Soo-won, then someday, he’ll be king. We always talked about protecting the kingdom side by side, so of course …_ but lately, he’d barely talked to her about anything at all. If he didn’t need her help now, then when he was king he’d need it even less. _So is marriage …?_

“When you come back, you’ll tell me about your trip?”

“Of course!”

“ _Not_ just the stuff about how pretty the city was. I know all that. I’ve been to Chi’shin, remember?”

“When you were six years old,” Soo-won laughed.

“I remember it just fine!” It was the only time she’d been outside the capital. Of course she remembered. “You’ll tell me about the important stuff? About what you were doing there?”

“Princess, I sincerely hope that what I’m doing won’t turn out to be important in the slightest.” And that was supposed to make her less interested? “Before I leave, I have something for you. A birthday present.”

“… oh?”

“I wanted to give it to you in person. Hold out your hand?”

Yona obliged. “It’s … a hair ornament?” She frowned. It was beautiful, but … it wasn’t the sort of gift she wanted to receive from Soo-won. _I used to be someone he shared his dreams with. Now I’m someone he gives pretty things to._

“What’s wrong, Princess? Don’t you like it?”

“I do, it’s—” But she couldn’t say _that._ “It’s pointless to try to make my hair look nice,” she said, instead. “It’s so unruly, and it’s a weird color on top of that. A gift like this doesn’t suit me.”

“Eh?” Did—did Soo-won look genuinely surprised, just then? “But I love your hair, Yona. It’s a beautiful crimson, like the morning sky at dawn.”

 _Soo-won … really does like my hair?_ Why did _that,_ of all things, make her feel …? _It’s silly, but maybe …_ maybe it was all right, if Soo-won talked to her about frivolous things sometimes.

 

Nothing else of note happened the night of Yona’s sixteenth birthday. Soo-won departed the next morning without speaking to her again, and three weeks later, word reached the palace that Li Hazara, of the Kai Empire’s Sen Province, had led his troops across the border and was marching on Saika.

 


	2. Chapter 1

In the five days since the news of Li Hazara’s invasion, the attitude within the palace had grown tense. Of course no one thought war would come this far. Of course not. But … rumor had it that Kan Soo-jin had been defeated, and that the Fire Tribe’s general was retreating. If the Sen Province captured Saika—that wasn’t just a village or two at the border, that was the capital of one of Kouka’s five tribes! Not that, in Yona’s opinion, losing even one village would be more acceptable. “Father, are you really sure that this is the best thing to do? We have an army, too!”

The king had sent out ambassadors to negotiate a peace settlement. “That would only lead to more bloodshed,” he said, with a slight frown. “Think of the lives of our people, Yona.”

“But you can’t just give away more of our land, what about the people who live _there?_ ” Yona protested. Not to mention the fact that the Fire Tribe’s general certainly wouldn’t appreciate the king ceding away the Fire Tribe’s land.

“Enough,” the king sighed. “Yona, I’ll see you at dinner.” He reached for the scrolls that Min-soo had presented to him before Yona’s interruption, and retreated into the war room, where Generals Ju-doh and Hak were waiting. As the door shut in her face, Yona turned to Min-soo.

“So …” she began. “Can you tell me what was in that report?” It had been brought by a fast courier coming from all the way from the Fire Tribe, so it was definitely important.

“Ah, Princess, you know I didn’t read it. Classified.” Yona sighed. “But I’m sure you can get Hak to tell you everything once their meeting is done.”

“I guess …”

“Hey, Princess …” Min-soo lowered his voice. “His Majesty will be busy for an hour or so at least, and you need a distraction. It’s a nice day to go out to the training grounds, isn’t it?”

“Oh, right! Thanks, Min-soo!” Yona darted back to her rooms. It didn’t even matter if the weather was clear or not; a chance to practice at the training grounds without her father looking for her was always valuable. Even moreso now, when—despite her father’s assurances—war might be coming. Quickly, she pulled off her silk dresses and tossed them aside, rummaging through a chest to find the boys’ clothing she always wore when she practiced with weapons. It was kind of an open secret among the palace guard that the princess practiced archery, but as long as she wasn’t obvious about it, no one said anything, and somehow, her father hadn’t found out.

There were more soldiers than usual training today, despite the hot sun beating down. Was that a sign? Or was it just that everyone else was as nervous as she was? “Hey, miss,” a soldier grunted, as Yona missed her target completely for the third time in a row. “If you’re not serious about this, let the men who actually need the practice have a shot.”

She turned. “Hm?”

“Ah, that is …” He caught sight of the red hair beneath her scarf, but when she didn’t say anything else, he went on. “Clearly, this is just a hobby for you. The men are on edge. Since they’ll be the ones defending the castle if it comes to that, you should get out of their way. Let them practice, it’ll calm their nerves.”

“I’m serious!” Yona protested, but the soldier—a captain, maybe?—laughed.

“Miss, when you can shoot two hundred arrows a day and hit your target every time, _then_ you can say you’re serious.” Yona frowned. She’d practice more if she could! But the man was right; even if she _was_ a better archer, there was no need for Yona to ever use that skill.

“Do—do you think there really will be a war, then?” she asked. Maybe a common soldier would have a different feel for that than Father. The man nodded, and Yona blinked. He looked so certain. “But—”

“There’s already a war,” he said. “General Soo-jin’s got the best army of the five tribes, and if they got past him—there’s going to be more fighting, no doubt about it.”

Yona nodded. “I’ll … I’ll let you train,” she said. “Thank you.” She stepped aside, and looked over the soldiers at work. _They are nervous,_ she decided, _but they’re also eager._ Unlike the soldiers of the Fire Tribe, none of these men had been conscripted. Why did they volunteer, if not for a chance to defend their country?

The walk back to the palace proper seemed to stretch out forever. If Yona could get her father to just _listen_ to her—or not even that, even just to let _her_ listen while he carried out the business of state, then maybe she wouldn’t feel so useless right now. _But here I am, powerless in matters of state_ and _in battle._ If Soo-won were here … _he’d be just as frustrated at Father as I am,_ Yona decided. _And at least he’d talk to me._ As far as Yona knew, though, Soo-won was still in Chi’shin. Surely he’d heard about the situation—why hadn’t he come back?

 

When she reached her chambers, Yona was surprised to find Hak waiting for her. “You’re done already?” she asked. “What happened? What was the news?”

Hak didn’t answer. He glanced down at the clothing Yona was wearing, then said, “Princess, you’re dressed for it already. Let’s go into the city.”

“… what, _now?_ ” Hak always put up with Yona’s secret visits into the city, but for him to encourage it … and at a time like this … she looked at his face. He was deadly serious. “Father asked you to take me.” Yona frowned. “It’s bad, isn’t it?” Hak nodded grimly. “Then you should be defending the castle, right? I know my way around the city, I can …”

“Princess. I won’t leave your side. That was your father’s will.”

“Are—are we leaving the city?”

“No.” Hak shook his head. “With the armies approaching, it’ll be too dangerous. We’ll lay low in the city until …”

 _Until what?_ And what did he mean, armies, plural? If General Soo-jin was leading his defeated army here, then that should make it at least a little safer, not more dangerous … “Hak, what’s going on?”

Hak paused. “Later,” he said, shortly. “Pack a bag. Something you can carry yourself, and don’t bring anything conspicuous.”

“All-all right. Um …” She hesitated. “Now? Can I see Father before—?” Hak was scaring her, the way he was talking.

His eyes softened. However— “No,” he said. “We should leave as soon as possible.”

Yona nodded. She reached for a small sack. She was wearing boys’ clothing now, and Hak had said that was fine, but she pulled out the linen dress that she wore when she visited the city, too. Then she went to her chest of jewelry and rummaged for some pieces that could be sold if necessary. Not the nicest ones, but the ones that wouldn’t draw too much attention … her fingers fell upon the hairpin that Soo-won had given her. _No, that’s far too nice to take with me._ But with what was happening, with the way everything was talking— _I’ll see Soo-won again, right?_ She placed the hairpin in the bag. “All right,” she said. “I’m ready.”

 

They passed through the palace gates just after dusk, Yona’s hair covered and Hak dressed as a common soldier, his glaive his only distinctive feature. Yona couldn’t help but feel like she was leaving forever. But that was just nerves, right? If Father thought she wouldn’t be coming back, he’d have said goodbye—wouldn’t he? “Where are we going?” she asked. There were parts of Kuuto she knew well, but other parts she didn’t know at all, and Hak was leading her towards the western districts, which she was less familiar with.

“You’re not completely inconspicuous when you come here, you know,” Hak said by way of explanation. “We’ll find somewhere people won’t recognize your face.”

“Wouldn’t it be safer to leave the city?”

“…it might be,” Hak admitted. “We’re not under siege yet, after all.” _Under siege? It’s going to come to that?_ “But that’s not what the king wanted.” After walking through back streets and alleys for over an hour, they came to a run-down inn. “No one will look for you here, Princess.”

Yona nodded. “It’s ‘Rina,’ then,” she said.

“… right,” said Hak. “Rina.”

“Hak, tell me what’s going on.”

“Let’s go upstairs.” He led her to a small room with a single bed, casting a careful glance at the hallway before shutting the door. “Kan Soo-jin wasn’t defeated by Li Hazara.”

“Uh,” Yona began, “isn’t that good?”

Hak held up a hand. “Soo-jin and Li Hazara are marching on Hiryuu Castle together.”

Yona froze. “Soo-jin … is a traitor?” Father’s own general would attack him? That was— “We can’t run away! We have to—”

“Princess, that man wants to kill your father and take his throne. What do you suppose he’d do to you?” _His second son, Tae-jun, wanted to marry me,_ Yona remembered. But that wasn’t what Hak— “He’d kill you, too, Princess,” Hak said flatly. “The best thing you can do, for your father _and_ for the sake of the kingdom, is to not give him that chance.”

“… what about the other tribes? Are they just going to let this happen?” But even as she asked the question, she knew the answer. The Earth and Water Tribes had very little love for Il, and although the Wind Tribe had powerful warriors, they didn’t have the sort of military force that could stand up to the combined forces of the Fire Tribe and the Sen Province. Although— “Soo-won’s in Chi’shin, maybe he can convince Geun-tae …”

Hak shook his head. “We can’t count on that. By the time news reaches that far, it may be too late.”

“So it’s just General Ju-doh, then.” Yona remembered the soldiers she’d seen on the training grounds. Was that really only a few hours ago? They had all signed up to protect their kingdom, yes, but not like this. Not from their own countrymen.

“Don’t underestimate the Sky Tribe’s army,” said Hak. But his face said that he, too, wasn’t hopeful.

 

By late morning the next day, the whole city seemed to have some idea what was happening—or at least, that was what Hak told her. He’d forbidden Yona from even setting foot outside their tiny room. “I don’t understand how Soo-jin could do a thing like this!”

“He’s mad,” Hak said. “He thinks he’s the heir of Hiryuu himself, and that gives him the right—”

“That’s ridiculous,” said Yona. “To call himself Hiryuu’s heir while tearing the kingdom apart.”

“If it were just a delusion, it would be—we never saw eye to eye, but I didn’t think he would go this far.”

“Hak …” Yona hesitated. “Do you want to fight? No one’s going to come for me here. If you can leave me here long enough to get information, you could go find Ju-doh, and—”

He sighed. “You’re right. I do want to fight. When I think of Soo-jin, and how I sat by his side, and supported him, I—” He took her hand, and Yona flinched at the touch. Since they’d left the palace, he’d been professional, even distant. _He was just trying to keep his emotions at bay, for my sake,_ she realized. She gripped his hand in return, tightly, even though it was completely inappropriate. “But Princess, if I put myself in danger, I’d risk leaving you here all alone. I won’t do that.”

 

In the end, it was hardly a siege. The combined armies of the Fire Tribe and the Sen Province were twenty thousand strong, and the small remnant of what had once been the mighty Sky Tribe army was no match for them. Still, Yona spent two full days trapped in that room, knowing no more than the rumors Hak brought back to her.

On the third day, Hak left early in the morning, and hadn’t returned by midday. _He usually checks in more often than this. Did something happen?_ No, she’d wait. She understood why she had to stay hidden, it made sense, and— _and I wanted to protect my kingdom. The Sky Tribe, the Fire Tribe, all of it._ Staying here, knowing nothing of what was going on—and was it just her, or were the noises from the streets louder today? What had happened? As the afternoon dragged on, she could no longer stand it. Where was Hak? _I’ll go downstairs. Just to the common area. Travelers at an inn, they’ll know something, right?_ She wrapped a scarf around her hair and opened the door.

A cacophony of voices met her ears as she emerged downstairs. Angry, disbelieving, afraid, resigned—some even sounded happy. _But what happened?_ “Um, excuse me,” she said, to the innkeeper, twisting the ends of her scarf nervously between her hands. “There’s news? About the war?”

The innkeeper nodded. “Yes, miss,” he began, but he was interrupted by another patron, a rough-looking man who Yona took, by the weapons he’d set beside him at his table, to be a mercenary.

“He did it, he really did it!” the mercenary said with a laugh, raising a glass. “General Ju-doh surrendered this morning! No more of this crap from King Il, we’ll have a real king again!” Yona glanced at the innkeeper for confirmation. He nodded.

“What … about the king?” she asked in a whisper.

“Soo-jin knows what needs to be done,” said the mercenary. “Swift. Decisive. I could serve a guy like him.”

“You—you don’t mean—?”

“King Il is to be executed,” said the innkeeper. “At sundown.”

 _No…_ Her hands fell to her side, pulling her scarf with them. _No! They can’t! Father can’t—!_ The whole room was staring at her. _I have to—_ a bow and quiver stood propped by the mercenary’s table. She grabbed them and ran.

 _Sundown. I have time. I can—_ she didn’t even know where she was. But all she had to do was find her way back to the palace. Uphill, towards the center, and everyone else seemed to be headed that way too. Soldiers lined the streets, Fire Tribe soldiers, and Yona raced past them without thinking. _There. That’s where they’ll—_ Yona had never seen an execution. _And I won’t today, either. I won’t let them kill him._ The crowd pressed around her tightly, and she could barely see. But—there, that shop, and that tree right next to it—she clambered up to the rooftop and was hit by a sudden burst of memory, of being held tightly in the Green Dragon’s arms as a child as he flew with her back to the palace. But the loud gong as the procession approached the public square pulled her back to the present. She couldn’t help but let out a cry as she saw her father, stripped of his crown, stripped of his dignity, brought forth by soldiers.

Soo-jin was there. Kan Soo-jin, who was going to kill her father. She didn’t listen to the words he said. She drew her bow instead. _Wait. Wait. Not yet._

Why was she shaking? _I’m going to kill a man._ Yes. That was why she was here, right? To save her father’s life. _I couldn’t do anything before, but I can do this._ Was Father looking up at her? _No, he can’t see me. The crowd is—_ why did he seem to be looking up at her with dismay, with regret—with horror? _I’m doing this for you, Father. You always tried to protect me, so I’ll protect you. This is the only way. This is—now!_

But the arrow flew wild. Shouts from the soldiers, a hand on her shoulder—an arm pulling her in tightly, a hand covering her eyes, but too late, because she saw the sword fall, saw the look in her father’s eyes, saw— “You’ve been seen, Princess.” Hak’s voice. “Come, quickly.” He lifted her into his arms and stepped over the edge of the roof, bracing himself against the fall, back up and running almost immediately.

“Hak, I—”

“Run.” She gripped his hand and struggled to keep up. Shouts from guards told her they were in close pursuit. Hak suddenly switched direction, darting into an alley and dropping her hand, then stepped back into the main street, glaive unsheathed.

Then he took her hand again. “Where—?”

“Out of the city. We can’t stay here now.”

“But—” There was no time for questions. They were running again, Yona barely noticing their surroundings until she realized that they weren’t heading deeper into the city at all, but uphill towards the castle itself. _Why—?_ But around the palace walls, behind the castle parade and training grounds, there was unguarded wilderness, and if they made it that far, then—Hak had stopped several times to fight off more soldiers, but he wasn’t slowing down. Finally, as the open ground gave way to trees, Hak paused.

“Princess,” he began. “That was stupid. When I went to the inn and you weren’t there—”

She wrapped her arms around him as the tears finally came. “Hak, I couldn’t—”

“He didn’t want you to. He wouldn’t have wanted you to kill for him.” That look in his eyes—she’d imagined it, right? _I was trying to save him._

“I—I didn’t say goodbye.” Instead, her father’s last memory of her would be—no. It was her imagination. Surely the king hadn’t even seen her there. “I—I just—what do we do now, Hak?”

Hak pulled her close. “We keep living. That’s what your father would want for you, Princess.”


	3. Chapter 2

“What do we do now?”

Honestly, Hak didn’t know the answer. Saying they had to go on living was all well and good, but— _where? How?_ But he couldn’t let Yona see him falter. Not now. “We need to keep going, Princess.” She nodded wordlessly. They had left the last of their pursuers behind well before reaching the wilderness, but Hak knew this was only a temporary reprieve. Once they realized it was the princess they’d been chasing, and not just a random would-be assassin, they wouldn’t stop.

_How could Yona do something so reckless?_ But Hak didn’t really need to ask himself that. If Yona’s life wasn’t in his care, he’d have done the same. Still, seeing the princess ready to take a life had shocked him. She wasn’t prepared to do something like that, her faltering aim had shown as much, but— _dammit, Il, why did you have to put her in that position?_ And why was he cursing Il instead of that bastard Soo-jin?

He should have ignored the king’s wishes, should have taken her out of the city three days ago. King Il would still be dead, but Yona wouldn’t have had to see it happen, wouldn’t have put herself through that, and they would be safe in Fuuga. In the dark, Hak moved through the woods by instinct, and it was only at that moment that he realized he was leading Yona in the direction of his tribe’s capital. But Fuuga wouldn’t be safe for long, would it?

“Where are we going?” Yona asked, echoing his thoughts.

“We need to go somewhere you can live in secret.”

“No!” Yona protested. “We need to find someone who can help! So we can go back, and—and—”

Hak took Yona by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “Princess,” he said. “It’s over. Soo-jin will be king.”

“But—” Yona looked down. Tears welled up in her eyes. “The whole city saw him murder my father,” she said. “How can—?”

“The city saw an execution,” said Hak. “Not a murder. You’ve studied history, you know how it goes.” Was that too harsh right now? But Yona had to know this. Had to know that anything she did would just be throwing her life away. “The other generals still have to confirm him as king, but … they know that not supporting him will mean war. And they’ve seen what he’s capable of.”

“What about you, Hak? You’re a general. You … won’t side with Soo-jin, will you?”

“Never.” That wouldn’t even be an option, once it became clear that Hak was the one who led Yona to safety, but even if it was … if Hak ever found himself in the same room as Kan Soo-jin again, he didn’t know what he’d do.

“Does—does that mean the Wind Tribe will go to war?”

_No. It means that I can’t be their general._ “Princess, we’ll go to Fuuga now,” said Hak. Yona was strong, Yona would survive—and then what? “It won’t be a safe haven for long—it’s the first place the Fire Tribe will look for you. But you’re right, they’re under my protection as well. And you can at least rest, a little, before moving on.” Yona nodded. She needed to rest _now,_ Hak could tell, but he wanted to get further from the castle before they stopped for the night.

 

Hak stood guard while Yona slept, fitfully, her distress and her simple discomfort at sleeping in the woods for the first time fighting against sheer exhaustion. Suddenly she jerked awake. His grip on his glaive tensed. “Hak!” the princess cried out. “Hak, I left things at the inn!”

“Well, there’s no going back for them now. Go back to sleep. It’s not important.”

“But my gift from Soo-won …” She looked up at him. “Hak, will Soo-jin kill Soo-won, too?”

“He’ll try.” No point denying that. “But your cousin can take care of himself. Soo-won wasn’t even in the city.”

Yona took a deep breath. “You’re right,” she said. “Soo-won will be fine. He’ll be fine.”

“He probably has a plan to deal with Soo-jin already,” said Hak, trying to lift Yona’s spirits.

“That’s right,” said Yona. “He’ll be the one to—I couldn’t do anything. I was useless, I couldn’t even—” _No, that wasn’t what I meant at all._ Reckless, yes. Stupid, yes. _But it wasn’t your fault. Don’t ever think that._ Yona rubbed her eyes. “Hak, I can’t sleep. Let’s keep going.”

“No,” Hak countered. “You need rest. If we’re pursued, and you’re too tired to move, then where would we be?”

“Well then, what about you? Don’t you need rest, too?”

“My body’s stronger,” Hak explained patiently. “I’ve had training for things like this. You haven’t. Sleep.” But Yona resolutely shook her head and began to stand up. Sighing, Hak sat down, his back against a tree, resting his glaive beside him. He reached out to take the princess’s hand. “Here,” he said. “Lean up against me. You’ll sleep better.” He felt a pang of—something—as she rested her head against his chest. _It should be Soo-won comforting her right now. Not me._ But within a few minutes, Yona was asleep again.

 

“Is that Fuuga?” It was near evening, and those were the first words Yona had spoken all day. In the days they’d spent traveling through the mountains, she’d eaten, she’d slept, she’d kept up a good pace—but since that first night, she’d barely spoken. _I’ll kill Kan Soo-jin._ If Yona, who’d always been so outspoken in her enthusiasm, was going to be like this for the rest of her life—

“Yes, that’s Fuuga. We’re here.” Yona nodded wordlessly and pulled her hood up over her head. “Princess. We’ll be safe here.”

Yona swung around to face him. “You don’t know that!” she exclaimed. “If the Fire Tribe sent people on horses, then they could already—you have to be careful! I can’t lose you! You’re the only one who hasn’t left me!”

Hak blinked at her sudden outburst. “Why, Princess, I didn’t realize you cared that much.” But he felt reassured—it wasn’t that she’d lost her will. “I’ll be careful,” he promised.

As they approached the gate, Hak could see Tae-woo standing guard, alert—and alone. That itself was a sign that something was wrong. “Lord Hak!” Tae-woo called out. “You’re not dead!”

Hak rolled his eyes. “Clearly.” Then, “Where’s Han-dae?”

“He’s still recovering. There were soldiers—”

So the Fire Tribe had already come. Beside him, Yona tensed. “Soldiers?” Hak asked. “Are they still here?”

Tae-woo shook his head. “They were never _here_ here, they—” He glanced at Yona. “You should go see Elder Mundok.”

They didn’t find Mundok right away. Inside, there was commotion, people running about, frantic. Even without knowing what happened, it hit Hak like a punch in the gut, seeing the normally carefree Wind Tribe this agitated. People stopped, when they saw him. “Lord Hak!” a woman called out. “Thank goodness you’re safe!”

“Where’s Elder Mundok?” She pointed towards the great hall, and Hak took off, still gripping Yona’s hand. The sight that greeted them there was—the hall had become a makeshift infirmary, the floor lined with pallets and blankets. Yona looked around the room, eyes wide, and Hak saw tears start to fill her eyes. She hadn’t cried since that first night, and she didn’t even know these people … actually, Hak realized, looking around the room, he didn’t know most of these people, either. They must be merchants, or travelers. What had the Fire Tribe done?

Mundok stood at the far end of the hall. He turned, and his gaze caught on Yona. The old man strode briskly across the room and drew her into an embrace. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” he said. “I feared the worst.” He looked her up and down. “My dear, you’ve had a hard journey. You need rest.”

Yona shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said. “I’m not hurt. I’m—” But she followed Mundok as he took her hand, too tired to lend any weight to her protests.

 

Hak waited until they were out of earshot of the princess’s room. She’d be out cold as soon as she lay down, he was almost sure of it, but just in case … what he needed to ask would be something she didn’t need to be thinking about. “Whoever did this,” he began. “Were they looking for her?”

“No, not yet,” said Mundok. He explained how riders from the capital had come, summoning him to the castle to voice his support for Soo-jin’s ascension as king.

“And you refused.” It was a bold decision, maybe a stupid one—and Hak sympathized completely.

“What they did next—send soldiers to dam up our river, attack the merchants to cut off our resources—only proves that Kan Soo-jin will never be fit to be king.”

It was true. Even ignoring his act of treason, Hak knew the state of the Fire Tribe, knew what would happen if the rest of Kouka was subject to those policies—but he also knew what would happen if the Wind Tribe held out. “You would give the princess refuge,” he said.

Mundok narrowed his eye. “You wouldn’t?”

“Not here,” said Hak. “I don’t like the idea of him on the throne any more than you do, but we’re in no position to win a civil war. And if Yona is here, if they find that out, that’s what it will be. Grandpa … I won’t allow that. I won’t pay for a throne with your lives.”

“As if it was your decision. Every one of us here would fight to protect our people.”

“It is my decision,” Hak retorted. “I’m still your general.”

“You call me Grandpa, and then you say something like that.”

“Accept Soo-jin. Let his foreign army leave, let him let his guard down. When the time is right … Lord Soo-won is still alive. I only have to keep Yona safe until …” He didn’t know how they would do it. Didn’t know what plan Soo-won would think up. “I need those two to be able to count on you at that time.”

Finally, Mundok nodded. “Don’t tell me you’re leaving just yet,” he said. “Let me give my grandson food and a bed for one more night.”  
  


* * *

  
“Hak!” Yona flung open his chamber doors and almost stopped in her tracks. The sight of her protector lying asleep, vulnerable—so different from his guarded rest in the wilderness—almost made her question her decision. Hak had stayed by her side, and she had no way to repay him, and she was about to ask him for even more.  _This isn’t just for me,_ she reminded herself.  _This is for the Wind Tribe, too._ “Hak, wake up.” He opened his eyes and suddenly all that vulnerability was gone. “We need to leave,” she said. “Or I do, anyway.”

Hak just nodded, standing up. “The Wind Tribe won’t be safe for you.”

“I don’t just want to go somewhere safe,” Yona replied. “I want to _do_ something.”

“Princess, there’s nothing you can do—”

“Right _now,_ ” Yona cut him off. “There’s nothing I can do _right now._ ” She remembered— “Believe me,” she said. “I know. You saw what happened when I tried—” Hak looked like he was about to say something, but Yona pressed on. “So if it was just about me … or about my father … you’d be right. It would be better to find somewhere I could live safely, quietly. To wait for Soo-won.” Alone, in the mountains, she’d resigned herself to that. Had given in, admitted she was powerless. “But look at what they’ve done. Kan Soo-jin’s first act as king is to bully the Wind Tribe, to attack peaceful merchants.” She’d met Hak’s little brother last night, heard about how he’d almost died without his medicine. The Fire Tribe would have killed that little boy, killed him without even knowing he existed. Yona might be powerless, but— “I can’t allow someone like that to be king of our country.” She took a deep breath. “So I won’t do anything reckless right now. But when I leave the Wind Tribe, my goal won’t be to live in secret. My goal will be to take this country back. Hak—will you stay by my side?”

Hak blinked at the question, hesitated, and Yona’s heart fell. Of course he wouldn’t. He’d seen her try to make things right before, and she’d only made everything worse. “I’m sorry,” she hastily added. “It’s selfish of me to ask, when all these people depend on you, too. I just—” It really was selfish, to set out with a goal like that, when by herself she didn’t even know where to begin. “I need you, Hak.”

“Princess,” Hak began. “You’re asking me to choose between following you and standing with my people.”

“I—” Hak held up a hand and kept speaking.

“But there’s no choice at all. For your own sake _and_ for the sake of the Wind Tribe, I will tear Kan Soo-jin down from the throne he stole.”

Yona’s eyes widened. “You—” She wrapped her arms around him.

“No one will take you seriously as a rebel leader if you do things like that, Princess.”

“I don’t care,” said Yona, her voice muffled against his chest. _You’re taking me seriously. That’s enough._ “I’m happy. Besides, I’m not a rebel leader yet. It’s just us two.”

“Don’t doubt that the Wind Tribe will support you.” Yona turned. How long had Mundok been standing there behind her? “When the time comes,” the retired general added, looking at Hak.

Hak gave a short nod. “Elder Mundok,” he began. “I’m abandoning my post. Abandoning my people. I’m sure you want to exile me.” Yona looked from one to the other. What was Hak—? “And you should probably disown me, too, for good measure.” He'd never planned to stay here, she realized. By helping her escape, he’d already declared himself Soo-jin’s enemy. This was his plan to protect his people from the start. _Then … he would have come with me regardless. Even to protect me in secret._ And she’d asked him to give even more, on top of that … but no. The resolve in his voice, when he agreed to follow her— _he doesn’t want to hide any more than I do._

Mundok—Mundok was crying? Instinctively, she wrapped him in a hug. “Thank you,” she said. “For everything you’ve done. I’ll try to become worthy of your support.”

“Princess,” Mundok said. “There’s one thing you should do before you leave the Wind Tribe.”

“Hm?”

“Soo-jin has always claimed descent from King Hiryuu. That never meant anything before; each of the five tribes claims one of the legendary dragons as their founder, after all. But now that he’s claimed the throne, he’s gone so far as to take the name Hiryuu himself.”

Yona nodded; Hak had mentioned something along those lines before. “It still doesn’t mean anything,” said Hak.

“Maybe not,” said Mundok. “But there’s no priest in the palace anymore. He can get away with making claims like that. Princess, the priest who once lived in the palace is said to live on the borders of the Wind Tribe. He may be able to guide you on the path you should take.”

She frowned. It was true, she supposed—if anyone could discredit Soo-jin’s right to rule, it would be a priest. But she didn’t need a priest for that. She’d seen what he’d done herself. Still … any guidance at all would help, and she trusted the Wind Tribe elder’s judgement. If he thought seeking out this priest was worth her time … “Thank you,” she said again.

 

They set out while the sun was still low, traveling north into the mountains, but after a day of walking through the barren, rocky landscape, avoiding the cliffs and mountain gorges, they had nothing to show for their efforts. “Do you really think we can find this priest?” Yona asked. “It doesn’t seem like anyone could live out here.”

“That’s kind of the point,” said Hak. “He’s supposed to live somewhere far away from everyone else.”

“And … and do you think we really ought to be looking for him?” Yona was beginning to have doubts. “What if he says—I mean, the Fire Tribe _was_ Hiryuu’s tribe. Maybe a priest would say Soo-jin _is_ the rightful king.”

“Well, now,” said Hak. “If that happens, who besides us would ever know?”

“Don’t joke.” Yona frowned. She knew Soo-jin had no right to the throne. But … she was from the Sky Tribe. It wasn’t like she had any divine claim, either.

“The throne’s gone back and forth between the different tribes too many times to count,” said Hak. “Even a priest has to know that Hiryuu’s basically irrelevant.”

“So why seek him out at all?”

“Well …” Hak stopped in his tracks, looking back the way they’d come. “Mundok must have had some reason.”

_That’s right. Elder Mundok is the closest thing to a father Hak has ever had._ And Hak might never see him again. If her own father had had the chance to make one final request—an image appeared before her eyes. Her father’s face, as she drew her bow. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the image didn’t go away. _No, no—_ she’d had time, too much time, to dwell upon that moment. If Il had seen her at all, then that expression—it was fear for her safety, right? But … _the last thing he saw was the one thing he forbade._ And it had all gone so horribly wrong.

Hak drew her close. “Princess, what’s wrong?”

“N-nothing, I’m fine.” Then he pulled her around behind him and uncovered his glaive. “Hak?”

“Soldiers,” he muttered. “Close to fifty. Stay behind me.” Soldiers? Where—? Yona took a step back. To be found so soon— “And stay close,” Hak added, and suddenly the enemy was upon them.

Hak moved like lightning. That fierce expression on his face—he’d been waiting for this moment. Waiting for a chance to fight, instead of run. Fifty men, he’d said, but the narrow mountain paths meant that no more than ten could approach him at once, and it seemed that Hak could take out that many in a single blow.

“I’ve found you at last, General Hak. Princess.” The commander of the Fire Tribe soldiers stepped forward. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this moment. Now I, Kan Tae-jun, will be the one who—”

“Should we run away?” Yona muttered to Hak. “While he’s still talking?”

“We wouldn’t get far.”

“—and I shall—wait—you weren’t even listening?”

“Sorry,” said Hak. “Were you talking to me?”

Tae-jun flushed. “Of course I was—”

“It’s just,” Hak said. “I’m no longer a general. I have no idea what the second son of a usurper would want from me.”

“You—! Well. I’m not here for you, anyway. I’m here for the princess!” _They can’t get close. They can’t get close if Hak is—_ he pulled her close and held her tight. Then—arrows? If they were shooting arrows, then— _they’re really trying to kill us._ The first wave of arrows shattered mid-air at a single swing of Hak’s glaive, but how long could he keep that up?

“Run.” He stood between Yona and the soldiers. Another wave of arrows, another swing of his glaive, but an arrow clattered to the ground beside her. It had missed its target—but so had Hak. “Run, Princess.”

She couldn’t leave him—but he’d have less to think about if she wasn’t here. She ran. Tae-jun’s voice rang out in the background, saying something she couldn’t catch, and then Hak was there, in front of her, and—that was an arrow. That was an arrow in his back. “Hak!” He picked her up, ran, leapt. The soldiers were below them now, out of sight, but not out of reach for long. “Hak, you’re hurt—”

“Stay here.” There wasn’t much in the way of shelter, just a few short bushes in front of a narrow crevasse in the cliffside. If they hid here, they’d be found for sure. Hak turned away. “Hak, you’re not—you can’t—”

“Stay there, Princess.”

He … he couldn’t mean to deal with all those soldiers. Not after being been shot. Hak was—he was strong, but— _I have to do something. I won’t let them kill him!_

_This happened before._ Hak had told her to stay hidden, and she didn’t, and then— _he was right. There was nothing I could have done. This time, if I stay hidden, then—_

She heard voices. Not Hak’s voice. “It seems that even the Thunder Beast has a limit.”

“That arrow was poisoned. I’m surprised he’s lasted this long.”

_I said I wasn’t going to hide. I said I was going to do something._ Her father’s face flashed before her eyes again. _But I can’t—I’ll fail again—_

“Well then, finish him off. Then we can find the princess.”

_No!_ The soldier who stood at Kan Tae-jun’s side drew his bow. Not shaking, not unsteady, not like—she knew he wouldn’t miss. And she had to stay hidden, because— “No!” _I failed to save you, Father, but if I hadn’t tried, you’d still be—I can’t let that happen to Hak!_ She was already on her feet and running before she knew she’d made a decision. Slamming her body into the archer, she knocked him off his feet and off the side of the path. “You—”

Tae-jun turned to face her. “Princess,” he began. “You came to me at last. You have nothing more to fear. Return with me, and—”

“And what?”

“You must have heard, Princess,” Tae-jun began. “My father is to be king. Come with me, and I will ensure that you lose none of what you—”

“Your father is a murderer who wants me dead!”

“But don’t you see, it doesn’t have to be that way! Princess, if you marry me, then—”

“ _Marry_ you?” That was right, he’d wanted—it was hard to connect this man, who’d just ordered Hak’s death, with the one who’d sought her hand so long ago. “You—you think _now_ you can—?”

“Princess!” That was Hak’s voice. She turned away from Tae-jun and rushed toward the sound, and was abruptly pulled back.

“I can’t let you go to him.” Tae-jun had her by the hair, held it tight, and she didn’t even stop to think, she reached for his sword and sliced it clean through.

“Hak!” _He can’t die. I won’t let him die. He—_ where was he? She hadn’t seen—she clambered down the side of the path, to the level below—that was where his voice had come from—and the level below that was a sheer ravine, and Hak was holding on, about to fall, and two soldiers were— “Get away from him!” She raised her sword—Tae-jun’s sword—and she didn’t know what she was doing, but the soldiers backed away. “Hak, take my hand!”

“Wh—what are you doing, Princess? You need to run away!”

“No!” She took his hand. “I can’t—you have to live, Hak! I can’t let anyone else die!”

“Get the princess!” But Tae-jun’s men wouldn’t hurt her, she knew that, so she just had to hold on—Hak was so heavy—and she flinched away from one of the soldiers’ outstretched hands, and—

—and she couldn’t keep herself from screaming as they tumbled into the abyss.

 


	4. Chapter 3

In the pale light of the near-dawn, the fading moonlight carried mournful music across the still waters of the harbor.

“For god’s sake, Jae-ha,” a tired voice rang out. “Shut _up!_ ”

The harsh complaint broke the quiet spell, and other voices joined in. “It’s not a lullaby at four in the morning!”

Jae-ha sighed, tucked his erhu under his arm, and leapt down to the deck below. “Thank god,” came the voice of one of his crewmates, while another voice reminded him that he was still on watch till sunrise. _Right, right._ The night had been calm, and Jae-ha expected it to continue that way. The uncertainty, and then the actual news, from the capital had made Kum-ji’s forces cautious. A new king, a military-minded king—that should be good. The other news—well, Jae-ha knew it wasn’t true. So it didn’t matter. Right?

“Jae-ha.”

Captain Gi-gan stepped up behind him almost the moment he landed—for all she liked to complain about Jae-ha appearing out of thin air, she was surprisingly good at it herself. “Captain, what are you doing awake right now?” The captain just gave him a flat stare, glancing pointedly at his erhu. “I see,” said Jae-ha. “So you couldn’t resist the dulcet tones of my serenade, is that it, Captain?”

“I’ll confiscate that,” said Gi-gan. Jae-ha sighed and handed over the instrument. “When you finish your watch, see me in my cabin.”

“Ah … yes, ma’am.” He leapt back up to the crow’s nest. The final hour of his watch passed slowly, and the sunrise, when it finally came, was pale and dreary. “Good morning, Captain!” he greeted her, forcing cheerfulness into his voice. “What is it?”

Gi-gan scowled. “You know full well what it is.” Jae-ha blinked. He … really didn’t. And Gi-gan must have recognized his puzzled expression as sincere, because she sighed. “Look,” she said. “I know you’ve been distracted. That’s fine. You’ve always had things to think about that the rest of the crew doesn’t.” She tapped her pipe on her table and stood up. “But it’s gotten to the point where you’re actively keeping the rest of my crew from doing their jobs.”

“I—”

The captain cut him off. “—and I can’t have that on my ship. So I need you to either shape up, or leave.”

“—what?” The captain had issued similar ultimatums to members of her crew before. But Jae-ha … this had been his home for more than half his life, and to hear the captain say that now—well, but she spoke harshly all the time. She didn’t mean it, right?

Her expression softened. “Work with me, won’t you? You obviously want to go.” And … back to confusion again. “I heard the same news you did,” the captain continued. “About Princess Yona’s death.”

“And I told you then that it wasn’t true,” Jae-ha replied. He hadn’t seen the girl—Hiryuu’s reincarnation—in almost ten years. But he’d started feeling uneasy about her _before_ there’d been any news, so as much as he’d like to think that connection was gone, he couldn’t deny it was real. Real enough to know she wasn’t dead—because he’d _know,_ wouldn’t he? “And if she’s not dead, and they’re saying she is, then she must be out of their reach.”

“You’ve thought about that a lot.”

“Well, I had to, so I’d know I didn’t have to worry.”

“Uh-huh,” said Captain Gi-gan. “And this is you not worrying.”

Jae-ha sighed. “Well, sure, I’d rather be by her side, so I could—” Wait, that came out wrong. “I’m not going to abandon my shipmates because of some mystical destiny. You know that, Captain.” He’d been through this ten years ago—when he’d rescued the young princess, realized she was Hiryuu, and, most importantly, chosen _not_ to remain by her side in the capital. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about her, it was just that they had nothing to do with each other anymore.

“I’m not telling you to go to her because it’s your destiny,” said Gi-gan. “I’m telling you to go to her because when you’re this worried about a girl you haven’t seen in ten years, you’re no use to anyone here.” He reached for a witty reply and came up empty. “Besides, didn’t you promise her you’d return?”

“How did you—?” Jae-ha hadn’t told the captain about that. He changed the subject. “What about Kum-ji? Aren’t we close to finally catching him? I can’t leave until—”

“Kum-ji is keeping quiet,” the captain said. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed. Now you’re just making excuses.”

“So you really want me gone, is that it?”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Gi-gan rolled her eyes. “I thought you were going to ask my permission to find the girl over a week ago. But you’re too stubborn. That’s why I’m giving you this choice now: either go after her, or forget about her.”

“You … you know I can’t forget about her, Captain.” Even though it had been ten years, even though she, who’d only been six at the time, had surely forgotten _him._ And he knew it wasn’t just the dragon blood thinking for him when he didn’t _want_ to forget her.

Captain Gi-gan gave a curt nod. “I know.”

 

Despite Captain Gi-gan’s harsh dismissal, actually setting out after the princess was something of a relief. _And let’s be realistic, if she weren’t harsh, she wouldn’t be the captain I know and love._ He knew it wasn’t a permanent dismissal, knew she’d welcome him if he returned. What he didn’t know was if _he_ could come back. Twice he’d let the dragon blood have its way, and twice he’d escaped the destiny it had in store for him. To get close a third time … _well, what’s life without a little risk?_ Besides, he wasn’t a kid anymore. No one could force him into doing anything he didn’t choose to do. The princess wouldn’t be a kid anymore, either, she’d be sixteen now, and protecting a sixteen-year-old girl was exactly the sort of thing he _would_ choose to do, and … no, that line of thought was weird. In his mind, she was still six. In his mind, she was … _she’s not in immediate danger,_ he reassured himself. There had been times when she was, times when the dragon blood insisted that he had to do something, had to do it _right now,_ but that had passed.

For ten years he had tried to ignore the connection between them, tried to cut it off. He reached for it now, searching for anything that would tell him where she was, but it was no good. Aside from the comfort that she was safe, there was nothing. Maybe his past efforts had been too successful. He could sense the presence of the other dragon warriors, too, but he hastily turned away from those. If he stayed by the princess’ side, he might have to face them eventually—but not today.

Well, if he had to track down the princess the way he’d have to track down any other human being—it wasn’t like he’d wanted to rely on the dragon blood in the first place anyway. But where to start? The news of her supposed death had said she was killed while fleeing the palace, but that wasn’t very specific. Right outside the palace itself? Or on the run … basically anywhere else in the kingdom? He’d have to get more information somehow, and probably, that meant going to Kuuto, even if he was unlikely to find her there. Destination now in mind, he shouldered his bag and leapt into the sky, the breeze still cool on his face as the rising sun finally broke through the morning fog.

 

The first, most obvious difference he noticed in Kuuto was the ubiquitous presence of Fire Tribe soldiers. They gave an ugly feeling to the city, reminding him of Lord Kum-ji’s officials in Awa, though Jae-ha couldn’t say yet if these soldiers were abusing the townspeople in the same way. They probably wouldn’t get in his way … unless you counted taking up all the rooms in Kuuto’s inns, nearly all of which had been converted into temporary barracks. Well, the early summer was warm, the weather was beautiful, and Jae-ha wasn’t planning on staying here for long.

Some of these soldiers might have more details of Yona’s supposed death … but it wasn’t like he could ask them directly. Last time he was here, though, he’d met some people who might have ways to get that information. As he made his way toward the slums of the eastern district, he began to notice other differences in the city as well. They were subtle, as subtle and hidden to outsiders as the mood in Awa, but Kuuto was not the prosperous capital it had once been. More shops were boarded up, fewer children were playing … and when Jae-ha reached the courtyard where Ogi and his crew used to spend their days, it was almost completely deserted. An old man and woman sat in a corner, drinking and playing some game with dice, and Jae-ha walked up to them. “Ah, pardon me, I’m looking for Mr. Ogi.”

The woman squinted at him. “Ogi? He’s dead.”

 _What?_ “What happened?”

She shrugged. “That’s what happens to old folks like us, right? You must be out of the loop, it’s been two years …”

It was true, Ogi wasn’t a young man ten years ago … but to hear it so bluntly … and he’d been younger than Gi-gan, hadn’t he? “Hey,” the man interrupted. “You’re that weird kid who used to—”

 _That weird kid?_ Well, Jae-ha supposed that was better than if the man told a stranger about his powers … “Yeah, that’s me,” he said.

“Sani, this is that weird kid I told you about, the green dragon.” _And there goes that theory._

“Pfft, what are you talking about, ‘weird kid?’” the woman asked. “He’s quite the handsome young man.”

“Thank you, madam,” said Jae-ha, with a bow in the woman’s direction. “And you’re … uh …” He honestly didn’t remember this man at all.

“That’s Min-dae, and it’s just as well you forgot, given how useless he is,” said the woman—Sani—but she spoke with a grin.

“It’s so nice, even when the city’s in shambles, to see such a happy couple.” Min-dae, that name _was_ familiar— “Wait, you used to be in the Fire Tribe army, right? A long time ago?”

The man nodded, guardedly. “And I suppose you’ll say it’s a coincidence, the green dragon coming back to the city at this time?”

“Well, no,” Jae-ha began.

“You said that General Soo-jin wasn’t Hiryuu.”

“He’s not!”

“Yeah, well, tell that to the rest of his army.”

“Listen,” said Jae-ha. “If I needed some inside information from the Fire Tribe army, would you—do you still know anyone who you could go to, for that?”

Min-dae sighed. “You were just a kid back then, so maybe you didn’t know, but I wasn’t exactly honorably discharged. Even after all this time—the punishment for desertion is death. So, no. Sorry, but with Sani here, I can’t risk anything like that.”

“Right,” said Jae-ha. He _had_ known that Min-dae was a deserter, and he should have realized what he was asking. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” So where did that leave him now? Did he know _anyone_ else in the city? Well, there was Sun-hwa, the musician who’d taught him how to play the erhu (along with her other, equally beautiful, lessons). But he didn’t expect to find her, and the thought of his memories of her being sullied by the ugly Kuuto of the present made him not want to look. “Thanks for the news about Mr. Ogi,” he said. He was sorry to hear it, but at least he knew. _So what would I do if I needed to get intel out of Kumji’s officials in Awa?_ “Say,” he asked. “I don’t suppose you know of any taverns where Fire Tribe soldiers like to get drunk?”

 

The inn that Sani sent him to was bustling, full of soldiers and low-ranking officers. If this was Awa, and these were Kum-ji’s officials, he’d pick a likely target, get him drunk, and go from there. But he had a feeling that the discipline of the Fire Tribe army would have these men on guard against something like that. So if he had to make himself into someone they’d trust … Looking around the common room, echoing with conversations, he got an idea, and after a few words with the innkeeper, he found a corner to sit in, got out his erhu, and began to play. It was a win for everyone—the soldiers got entertainment, the innkeeper got something to entice the soldiers to stick around and continue buying food and drink, and Jae-ha got a few coins tossed his way, a roof over his head at night, and, hopefully, access to all sorts of interesting conversations.

Maybe this method of getting intel would be slow. But what was he supposed to do—jump straight into Hiryuu Castle and ask Kan Soo-jin what he’d done with the girl? Part of him really wanted to … the dragon blood, the part of him that couldn’t be trusted to make rational decisions when Princess Yona was involved. _She’s not in immediate danger._ The cautious approach would be best. And if playing beautiful music in a room full of cheerful people really _could_ help him find her … well, it really would be a win all around.

He didn’t learn anything of import the first night, but the innkeeper invited him back, and the soldiers all seemed friendly and open around him. It was a start. “My, you’re good at that!” a pleasant voice interrupted him between songs. “Let me buy you a drink.” Now, if Fire Tribe soldiers wanted to get _him_ drunk, then he was getting somewhere.

He looked up in the direction of the voice … oh, but it wasn’t a soldier. Too bad, because the face that it belonged to was really very lovely and gentle, not rough like a soldier’s face at all … and he quickly decided that one drink for pleasure wouldn’t hurt anything at all. “When a beautiful young man like yourself offers, how can I refuse?”

The beautiful young man in question blinked, seemingly startled by the response. _But h_ _e was the one who asked, wasn’t he?_ “Jae-ha, how kind of you,” he said with a smile.

 _Wait, he knows me?_ But this man was definitely younger than him, so ten years ago he’d have been— “Soo … won?” he asked, as the young man’s features fell in to place, matching up with the face of the young lord he’d known ten years ago. Jae-ha hadn’t even thought about what might have happened to Yona’s cousin, and he realized now what an oversight that had been. Surely Soo-won’s continued existence was just as much of a threat to General Soo-jin’s claim as Yona’s was, but there hadn’t been any news about him at all. Which … probably meant that Jae-ha shouldn’t be using his full name in a room full of Fire Tribe soldiers. Oops. “Won, I didn’t expect to find you here.”

“Meet me outside when you’re finished,” Soo-won said. “I’ll take you somewhere where the company’s more pleasant.” Did he just mean somewhere without so many soldiers, or did he mean …? _Come on, of course he just means somewhere with fewer soldiers._

He packed up his erhu after one more song, despite the inn’s patrons calling for him to stay. Soo-won was waiting for him, not far away, face partially hidden by a hood—and every trace of his pleasant expression was gone.

“You’re a little late,” Soo-won said, “if you wanted to fight at Hiryuu’s side.”

Jae-ha gaped at him. “You—you know I didn’t want that! And don’t tell me _you_ believe that guy is Hiryuu, too.”

“I—” Soo-won relaxed, slightly, and Jae-ha realized he'd been gripping the hilt of his sword at his waist, hidden under his cloak. “… I always thought it was Yona,” he said.

“It is! How did _you_ know that?”

“Does it matter? You’re a little late for her, too.”

Oh. _Oh._ He reached for the man’s hand. “Soo-won,” he said. “Yona isn’t dead.”

“You—you’ve seen her?”

“No,” Jae-ha admitted. “It’s something to do with being one of the four dragon warriors.” He grimaced, a little, at that. “I can’t really explain it, but I’d know it if she died.”

“Then it’s not …”

“Hey,” said Jae-ha. “Why don’t I buy _you_ a drink?”

 

He let Soo-won lead him to a different inn, one where there were no soldiers at all. “It’s not like you to have believed a rumor like that without any proof,” he said. “At least, it’s not like the Won I remember.”

“I didn’t want to believe it,” Soo-won admitted. “After all, Hak was with her. He could never let any harm come to her. But Kan Soo-jin thinks it’s true—it’s not just a story he put out. So I …”

And that must mean that Soo-won had sources in the palace, and that even if Jae-ha _did_ get close to people with real information, he wouldn’t learn anything useful. “She really means a lot to you, doesn’t she?”

“Of course she does,” said Soo-won, and then, at Jae-ha’s expression, raised his hands in protest. “Not like that! We’re not—” He took a sip of his sake. “If Yona had died, then all of this would have happened for nothing.”

“It’s not like you could have stopped it,” said Jae-ha, shifting in his seat. Truly, he didn’t know much about the political situation before Soo-jin’s coup, didn’t know what sort of power Lord Soo-won had had. Even at nine years old, Soo-won had been capable of a lot. But it wasn’t like one man could stop two armies on his own.

“I went to General Geun-tae,” said Soo-won. “But by the time I’d both convinced him of the threat, and convinced him it would be worth his while to intervene, it was too late.” So he had known about Soo-jin’s betrayal ahead of time … that sounded like Soo-won. King Il must not have believed the threat was real, or perhaps he'd simply been too cowardly to raise an army to defend himself.

“Well,” said Jae-ha with a shrug. “What else could you have done?” Soo-won didn’t answer.

“Yona’s alive, and you’re here,” he said, after a moment of silence. “So it’s fine.”

“Wait.” It was fine because _he_ was here? He’d been wondering why Soo-won was telling him so much, but now it started to make sense. “I’m not—I’m not going to help you and Yona take back the throne! I’m not getting involved in anything like that!”

“Why _did_ you come here, then?”

“I just needed to _find_ her. To see that she was safe.”

“But you already know that.” And that was true. But feeling it through the dragon blood was different than being by her side would be. “You want to protect her, to make sure she _stays_ safe, is that it?”

“Right,” said Jae-ha. “I’ll protect Yona. I didn’t come here to serve Hiryuu.” He hadn’t left his home behind for that. “I have my own life, after all—a pirate’s life. To me, it doesn’t matter who’s on the throne.”

“Isn’t the simplest way to keep her safe to ensure that the man who wants her dead is out of the picture?”

“You say it like that, but you’re talking about overthrowing the king.”

“I’m talking about overthrowing a man who’s had less than a month to secure his claim to the throne.” Soo-won smiled. “It’s not nearly as daunting a task as you make it sound.”

“You—you really think it’s a simple matter.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say simple,” said Soo-won. “But after all, you set out to capture Yona’s kidnapper with a lot less to go on.”

“I was fifteen then,” said Jae-ha. “I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“Exactly!” said Soo-won, beaming. “Now we’re both much better prepared.”

 _Saying ‘we’ like I’ve agreed to join him already._ “It’s not like you’ve had a chance to plan this out with Yona,” Jae-ha pointed out. “When you didn’t even know she was alive. How do you know this is what _she_ wants?”

“Because Kan Soo-jin killed her father,” said Soo-won, simply. And Jae-ha remembered that little girl, helpless but always wanting to do whatever she could to make things better … he’d known it from the moment he left Awa, hadn’t he? That coming to Yona now _would_ mean involving himself with politics, with rebellion, with—with Hiryuu. And when he thought of Soo-jin as just another king, it was one thing, but when he thought of him as the man who’d tried to kill Yona … he nodded. “I have the support of the Earth Tribe, when the time comes,” said Soo-won. “And I’m sure I can count on the Wind Tribe as well. Yona will be safe as long as she and Hak are together. The main thing we need, right now, is a line to Soo-jin.”

“You have ears in the palace already,” said Jae-ha. “Don’t you?”

“In the palace, yes,” said Soo-won. “Not in Soo-jin’s confidence.”

“I was trying to find someone with that kind of connection,” said Jae-ha, skeptically. “But I hadn’t gotten anywhere, and it seems like you hadn’t, either.”

“We don’t need to find anyone else,” said Soo-won. “I’m sure you’ll gain his trust in no time. After all, you’re one of Hiryuu’s loyal dragon warriors, aren’t you?”

It took Jae-ha a moment to process what Soo-won was suggesting. “No,” he said. “ _Oh_ no. No, no, no. I absolutely refuse.”

Soo-won just smiled.


	5. Chapter 4

Slowly, Yona opened her eyes, blinked. This wasn’t her bed, so … she was in Fuuga? No, they’d left Fuuga …

Suddenly, it all came rushing back. Holding on, trying to save him—

Then falling. She remembered screaming, she remembered the wind rushing past her as Hak’s hand suddenly became the only solid thing in the world, but she didn’t remember hitting the ground, and—wait. She was alive. She was alive, and— “Hak!” She forced herself upright—or tried to, but winced at an abrupt, sharp pain in her chest.

“Hey, no sudden movements! Do you want to die after all?”

That … wasn’t Hak’s voice. She found its source, a boy, standing beside where she lay and preparing some sort of medicine. “Where’s Hak?”

“That man you were with? He’s right there.” Yona carefully turned her head. Hak was laid out on a mat a few feet away from her own, wrapped in bandages, completely unmoving.

“H-hak?”

“He’s not dead,” the boy reassured her. “But it was close. If I hadn’t found you when I did, and treated him …”

 _I see._ “I … failed to save him.” _Just like before._

“Hey, I just said he wasn’t dead,” the boy said. “Anyway, it seems like he was the one who saved you. He took the worst of the fall, even though he was already poisoned and injured.”

“…oh.”

“But don’t act like you escaped unscathed, either! You’ve got a broken rib, too, and even though your ankle isn’t broken, you should stay off it for a while. Here, drink this.” He thrust a bowl of medicine towards Yona.

“Are you a doctor?”

“No, I’m just a handsome young man who lives in the area and happened to find you.” He had already grabbed the empty bowl back from her and moved on to treat Hak.

“Oh …” _Without this boy, Hak would have died._ “Thank you,” she said. “Wait … you live here? In the bottom of the valley?” That couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? “We were looking for someone …” He didn’t reply. “Is Hak …?” Yona eased herself upright, slowly this time.

“What did I just tell you? Lie down!”

“But Hak—” He hadn’t moved since Yona set eyes on him.

“I told you, he’s not dead. Now let me work.”

 

Some time later, the sound of voices woke her again.

“… you’re covered in mud! What happened?” But Yona wasn’t … oh, he was talking to someone else. That was fine, then. “No, nevermind, I don’t want to hear it. Clean yourself up today, you useless priest, I have patients right now.”

 _Wait, priest?_ Her eyes snapped open.. “Priest?” she repeated. Both faces turned to her. _This is the priest?_ With his unkempt hair and old, worn-out robe that was, indeed, covered in mud, the second man looked nothing like she’d pictured.

“Oh!” he said. “You’re awake!”

“I … he told me not to get up,” said Yona. She couldn’t greet him properly—and she realized, belatedly, the she didn’t even know the name of the boy who’d saved them.

The priest nodded, smiling. “Yoon knows what he’s doing,” he said. “It’s good to listen to him.”

“You’re one to talk!” The priest sat down, cross-legged, on the floor facing Yona. “And at least change into a clean robe before you do that!” the boy protested.

“…Priest?”

“My name’s Ik-soo,” said the priest. “I live here with Yoon.”

“And … you’re the priest who used to live in the palace?” But Yu-hon had expelled the priests before she was even born, and this man didn’t look old enough to have been more than a child then.

“That was his predecessor,” said Yoon, tossing a clean robe in Ik-soo’s direction. “Can you imagine a messy man like this in a palace?” Yona almost giggled at that image, despite herself, then winced at the pain in her chest. And these two didn’t know she was the princess and had lived in that palace herself, and she probably shouldn’t tell them … or at least, she should wait until Hak had recovered.

The priest kept looking at her. Was his face just dirty, or were those tears on his cheeks? “I’m so glad to finally see you, after everything you’ve been through, Princess Yona,” he said.

“You … already know who I am?”

“The gods told me about you,” said Ik-soo, with a nod and a smile.

“Jeez, don’t say that so casually,” said Yoon.

“Um …” What did he mean, the gods told him? “Um, we were actually looking for you,” she began.

“M-hm,” the priest agreed. “There are many things to talk about, after you’ve healed. Right now you should do what Yoon says and stay in bed.”

“I …” Yona glanced over at Hak. “I’m all right,” she said.

“You’re not,” Yoon disagreed.

“But Hak hasn’t even woken up once—”

“That’s not true,” said Yoon. “He woke up a little bit, and I gave him medicine.”

Yona glanced back at Ik-soo. “He won’t die,” he assured her.

“… did the gods tell you that, too?” Ik-soo gently smiled.

 

The next time she woke, it was the middle of the night, and she knew something was wrong. “Hak?” But the mat where he had lain was empty. “Hak!” Her chest hurt as she cried out, but she had to go after him. She struggled, but couldn’t do more than sit upright. “Hak!”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Yoon, clearly annoyed at being woken up, called out through the dark.

“Hak is gone!” She couldn’t hold back her tears. “Did he—”

Yoon glanced at the empty space on the floor. “He must have—he didn’t die,” he assured her. “I’ll go find him. What a pain,” he muttered, as he headed out into the night. Waiting for him to return seemed to take forever, and Yona forced herself to remain sitting, fearing that she’d fall back asleep despite herself if she lay back down. She needed to see Hak come back. Finally, Yoon returned, dragging Hak along by the hand.

“Hak!”

“Are you going to yell at me, too, Princess?”

He was upright, and walking, and moving on his own, and— “Hak, you’re—you’re fine.”

Hak glanced down at his bandaged body. “Only you would say that right now, Princess.” He paused. “Are you crying?”

“No!”

“Go back to sleep, both of you.”

Hak readily obeyed—which Yona took for a sign that his miraculous recovery wasn’t as complete as it seemed—but Yona found she couldn’t sleep. “Hey, Yoon?” she called out.

“What is it now?”

“Can the priest really hear the voices of the gods?”

Yoon sighed and approached her bedside. “Sometimes I wonder.”

“And if he can, then why did Uncle Yu-hon …?”

The boy’s eyes narrowed. “Lord Yu-hon didn’t like how much authority the priests held, regardless of where it came from. When the priests were driven from the castle, the temple was destroyed, and a lot of people were hurt. Are you saying you could accept that, as long as you thought their power wasn’t real?”

“No, I—” That wasn’t what she’d meant at all. “I didn’t know all that,” Yona admitted.

“See, that’s what I can’t stand about royalty and nobles,” Yoon continued. “You think you know everything about the world, but really you have no idea.”

Yona had tried to learn about the world. She _had_ learned a lot, she thought, but … she knew nothing of how this boy saw the world, knew nothing of what would make him think that way about royalty … and didn’t that prove he was right? “… yeah,” she said. “I’ll try to learn more.”

 

Yona felt a lot better the next day, well enough to spend most of the day sitting instead of lying down, but Yoon didn’t give her permission to get out of bed until the day after that. Her ankle wasn’t even hurt that badly, but since it hurt to breathe, she supposed he had a point. Hak had been up and active after that first night, but of course, Hak was strong.

She stepped outside. She wanted to see what sort of place it was she had fallen into, and she gasped at the sight of the landscape. Sunlight filtered down through layers and layers of trees lining the mountain ridges above, casting cool rippled shadows all around her, and from below—she almost couldn’t believe there _was_ a below, after how far they’d fallen, but from below came the sound of rushing water, and she walked a few more paces to see a stone ledge overlooking a waterfall and a deep, misty gorge. On the ledge, almost unnoticeable against the immensity of the landscape, sat the priest.

“Priest?” she called out, approaching him. She’d barely seen him yesterday—Yoon had kept yelling at him to stay out of the way of his patients—but he was the reason they’d come to this land in the first place. He turned to face her and she gasped again, this time at the sight of the tears on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“I had a dream about you,” he said. “About you and this world.” He paused, turning to look back out over the waterfall. “Princess Yona, would you like to hear the voice of God?”

“I …” Yona broke off. _What would a god have to say to me?_ Her father’s face floated before her eyes unbidden, and she blinked it away. _What was it that I came to ask the priest for, in the first place?_ Confirmation that she was on the right path? Reassurance that Soo-jin was not the one chosen by the heavens? “I made a decision already,” she said. “Even though I was frightened, even though I can’t do anything yet, I said I wouldn’t let that man do whatever he wanted with this kingdom. And then we were pursued, and Hak almost died, and I’m even more certain now. I can’t keep letting them hurt the people I care about. I don’t know how to follow this path,” she admitted. “Or even if I can. But I don’t think I need a god to show it to me.”

“If you follow that path, Princess, a tempest will follow in your wake, and consume all of Kouka behind you.” Her eyes widened. _Does that—does that mean it’s wrong? Does that mean I should just live quietly, and let things be?_ But no, that couldn’t be. She remembered what she’d seen in the Wind Tribe, and Yoon had told her a little about the villages in the Fire Tribe, that had lived under General Soo-jin’s rule for years. “But if you’ve chosen your path, I will convey the voice of God to you.”

Without hesitation, Yona nodded.

 _“When darkness falls upon the land, the blood of the dragons shall be restored, in accordance with the ancient pact. When the four dragons have gathered, the sword and shield that protect the king shall awaken. The red dragon will return with the dawn."_   With that, the priest collapsed, as if from exhaustion.

“The four dragons?” At Hak’s question, Yona turned; she hadn’t heard him approach. How much of that had he heard? Yoon was already rushing to the priest’s side. “Is he talking about Jae-ha?”

Both Yoon and the priest turned to look at him. “I … met Ryokuryuu when I was a child,” Yona explained. “He saved me.” She hadn’t actively thought about him in a long time, but belatedly, she realized that even he, all those years ago, had set her down the path she had chosen. He’d used his power to save her, to save lots of people, when his village had wanted him to live in secrecy and do nothing … or that was what he’d told her when she was six years old. She had a feeling now, thinking back, that he’d left out some details.

The priest just nodded; he wasn’t surprised at this information.

“The red dragon, that’s King Hiryuu, right?” Yona continued. “From the legend? So does that mean that Soo-jin _is_ —”

“The generals of the Fire Tribe have always considered themselves Hiryuu’s descendants,” Yoon explained. “That doesn’t mean they have anything to do with any prophecy.”

“All right … and so, about the four dragon warriors …?”

“Princess,” said the priest. “You’ve already learned that the path you chose is a dangerous one. If you continue as you are, without allies, Hak will die.”

Yona froze. “I—I won’t let him!” The force of her outburst surprised her, but that—far more than the priest’s talk of a tempest consuming the land—shook her resolve. She’d promised Hak that she wouldn’t do anything reckless, that she would wait till she had more strength to do anything at all, but even just trying to live had put him in danger. At this rate, would she even have a chance to become stronger, to become someone who could follow the path she had chosen? “I—”

“Don’t say things like that like I have no say in the matter,” Hak said, taking Yona’s hand. _He’s not dead. He’s right here._ She gripped it tightly, as if holding firm now could save him when it hadn’t before.

“You should seek out the four dragon warriors,” said the priest. “After all, you already know that one of them will help you. Perhaps the others will lend you their power as well.”

Yona frowned. Jae-ha was strong. _He_ could save Hak, and now that she’d started thinking about him again, she really _would_ like to see him again, but … “He said he didn’t want to have anything to do with royalty,” she remembered.

“He _said_ that, but he kept coming back,” Hak pointed out.

“What makes you think the other dragon warriors will help us?” Yona asked. “They don’t even know me.” But finding Jae-ha again, having him by her side again after so long, felt really appealing, and now that it had been brought up, the idea of meeting the other dragon warriors was intriguing as well. And since Ik-soo seemed to think that this prophecy about the dragons had something to do with her … _What would Soo-won think of me now, paying attention to a prophecy?_ “We were going to try to find my cousin Soo-won,” she said.

Ik-soo paused. “The help he can give you will be of a different sort,” he said, finally.

Yona nodded. “Then we’ll do it,” she said firmly. “We’ll find the four dragon warriors, and ask them to be our allies.”  
  


* * *

  
Jae-ha shifted uncomfortably on his feet. _I didn’t think this through._ Getting close to King Soo-jin wasn’t the issue—although, what kind of arrogance did it take for a man to, in all seriousness, call himself Hiryuu, and then require a demonstration to acknowledge that the other dragon warriors even existed? _He questioned my power, but after seeing it, he didn’t question my loyalty once._ Jae-ha didn’t care if Soo-jin thought he was some mindless servant, blindly following his fate. It was an ugly role to play, but it was why he was here. Soo-won had insisted that, in the long run, this was the best way to help Yona, and Jae-ha had eventually been forced to admit he was right.

No, it wasn’t about how Soo-jin saw him … it was everyone else in the palace. His time with Captain Gi-gan and her crew had proved everyone in his village wrong, proved that people _could_ see him as more than just a freak. But to everyone here, he was Ryokuryuu first, and—well, nothing, second. The soldiers, the courtiers, the palace staff—they saw him as a thing out of legend, and couldn’t hide the hint of nervousness in their voices when they spoke to him. He’d never cared much before how enemy soldiers and officers saw him … but that wasn’t it, either. These men might be his enemies by some definition, but they served their lord in exactly the same way that other men might serve Soo-won … or even Yona. Even if he never intended to follow Yona in the way he was pretending to serve Soo-jin now, it bothered him to think that everyone around her would probably see him this way. With Gi-gan, he’d had a family … but it seemed that destiny and the dragon gods didn’t care about things like that.

He glanced around the palace courtyard, trying to ignore all the eyes on him. This stupid ceremony that Soo-jin had insisted on was going to make things even worse. He understood it, he supposed—any king who obtained the services of even one of the legendary dragon warriors would want to make that information as public and official as possible. But it also meant that soon everyone in the city—everyone in the kingdom, even—would know who and what he was supposed to be. Of the faces in the crowd here now, only two weren’t looking at him with some sort of awe. The first was the ambassador from the Sen Province, who had remained behind when Li Hazara marched his troops back home. Tan Liyin’s unassuming, bookish looks belied her stern personality—she openly put no stock in fairy tales and didn’t seem to trust Jae-ha one bit, and frankly, Jae-ha found that refreshing. The second was Soo-jin’s second son, Tae-jun, who … seemed to be a very distracted person in general. Soo-jin’s eldest son, Kyo-ga, was in Saika, having been raised to the position of general when Soo-jin became king, and Jae-ha had to hope for the sake of the Fire Tribe that Soo-jin’s two sons were nothing alike.

Jae-ha glanced up, too, at the clear open sky above him. He could leave at any time. Even now, as Soo-jin stood before him, asking the green dragon to swear loyalty to his king, he could simply fly away. But the false oath passed across his lips easily. Lying to authority figures wasn’t a problem—he was a pirate, after all. And even as he spoke, he recalled a different oath, words that had pounded through his blood so many years ago. He had resisted, then, yet here he was.

 

Finally, the ceremony ended. Jae-ha didn’t wait for the crowd to file out; he leapt up and over the palace buildings that surrounded the courtyard, to a chorus of gasps from the crowd below him. _Well fine, be that way._ He wasn’t showing off. He just needed to get away from all these people and out of the palace as quickly as possible. While he couldn’t safely see Soo-won every day that he was carrying out this plan, he certainly wasn’t going to spend all his free time cooped up in the palace quarters that had been given to him. Though he did have to stop there to change out of these stuffy Fire Tribe robes … As he landed, a servant leaving the rooms almost immediately ran into him. “Pardon,” Jae-ha muttered.

“Excuse me, Lord Ryokuryuu,” the servant—a brown-haired teenager—said, with a slight bow. “I didn’t realize you’d come back so quickly.”

“My fault,” said Jae-ha. “I basically landed on top of you.”

The servant gave a slight nod, but didn’t leave. “Um—”

“What is it?”

“You’re—are you the same Ryokuryuu that Princess Yona used to talk about?”

Jae-ha blinked. So this kid knew Yona … he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. Soo-jin couldn’t have replaced the entire palace staff, after all. But he couldn’t let it get out that he knew the princess, that would blow his cover for sure. Or … hadn’t Soo-won said he had eyes in the palace already? A servant who’d been close to Yona would certainly be a good candidate. “Did a merchant named Won tell you that?” he asked. The boy’s eyes widened, and Jae-ha smiled. Thank god, he wouldn’t be completely alone in here, even if they couldn’t speak openly. “Hey, what’s your name?” he asked as he pulled off his heavy cape. “And where’d you put my changshan?”

“It’s Min-soo,” said the boy. “And are you sure you want to wear that?”

“Um,” said Jae-ha, “yes?”

“It’s just, Kai Empire clothing, right now, when you’re Hiryuu’s dragon warrior …”

Jae-ha sighed. “I suppose I can survive being less than extraordinarily beautiful for a while.” Giving up his normal clothes would feel like giving up even more of who he was, but hadn’t he already agreed to play that game? “But for tonight, for one more night, I’m going to wear my _own_ clothes.”

 

What Jae-ha needed a drink. Probably more than one. It was barely evening, and the inn where he’d spent his first two nights in town was quiet, as most of the soldiers who would fill the common area later were still on duty. “You’re back,” the innkeeper greeted him cheerfully. “After the way you ducked out last night …”

“I’m not here to play,” said Jae-ha. “Just to get my things, after you give me some of your best sake.”

“Too bad,” said the innkeeper, pouring him a cup. “The town sure seems excited about something, today. I bet you could get a nice crowd in here.” Jae-ha sipped his sake, thinking back to the previous two nights, playing music in anonymity while the Fire Tribe’s soldiers treated him like any other person. Part of him still wished that that plan had been a feasible one. The innkeeper clearly hadn’t heard the news about King Soo-jin’s dragon warrior, and maybe the rank-and-file soldiers wouldn’t have, either …

“You know what,” said Jae-ha. “I’ll play music for you one more night.”

Sun-hwa had once told him that his bow should soar across the strings, then been surprised at the immediate change in Jae-ha’s technique. Musicians said things like that without having any idea what it felt like to fly, but Jae-ha found it an apt description. Right now, it was as if his music could carry him away, out of reach of the responsibilities he’d undertaken. He didn’t really notice the crowd filling the inn until he paused for a stretch between songs and noticed the people around him, not conversing among themselves, but rather, watching him carefully. That brought him sharply back to the present, and his eyes flickered across the crowd, then up, where this time, there was no open sky to allow a safe retreat. A young officer in the crowd spoke up, boldly: “I’ll buy Lord Ryokuryuu a drink!”

Jae-ha sighed. That was that, then. As he moved to pack up his erhu, there were murmurs of disappointment, and he paused. Could he at least _pretend_ these people were watching him for his music and his beauty, rather than his supposed status? It would be a pleasant lie, for one more night … he forced a smile. “I’ll take that drink,” he said. “And it’s Jae-ha when I’m off duty.”

“Play something more cheerful!” a voice from the back of the room called out.

That, Jae-ha thought, might still be beyond him … until a second voice butted in with “You can’t just ask the green dragon to play something cheerful for you,” and the liveliest sea shanty he knew immediately sprang forth from his fingertips. At that, the whole room laughed, and Jae-ha began to wonder if pretending might not be so hard after all. The night wore on, and the drinks kept coming, and these men would never see him as one of them, but maybe, _maybe_ they could see him as one of theirs, and maybe that would be enough.


	6. Chapter 5

Clouds covered the night sky, obscuring the light of the narrow crescent moon, as Jae-ha leapt across the low rooftops of Kuuto. He was thankful for the added cover of darkness—the skies were not so free of curious eyes as they had once been. To most people, the city’s buildings would all look the same from above, but Jae-ha’s practiced eyes could easily make out his destination, even in this dim light. Not the first inn that he’d come to, but the second one, the one where Soo-won had taken him. And that would be the window, right … there. He touched down on the narrow windowsill, grabbing the frame to steady himself, and peered inside.

“There you are, Jae-ha! I was worried it would start to get damp in here.”

“It hasn’t started raining yet,” said Jae-ha, stepping inside and closing the wooden shutters behind him. The princess’ royal cousin should have looked out of place in the small, dingy room, with its unfinished wood floor and only a narrow chest for furniture, but somehow, wearing a simple linen robe, his hair tied back with a rough cord, Soo-won managed to seem at home here. Jae-ha was the one who looked like he didn’t belong, the elegant silks of his clothing clashing with the rough space. If he’d been wearing his changshan, he’d have said his appearance could only improve a place like this, but as it was…

“That’s a nice look for you,” Soo-won commented, noticing the new outfit.

Jae-ha rolled his eyes. “Everyone in the palace seems to think I should wear green,” he said. “Seriously, no concept of subtlety whatsoever." At that, a smile flickered at the edge of Soo-won’s mouth. “Although, I can't complain about their taste in wine.” He held out a bottle. “A gift, so to speak, from King Soo-jin.”

“Ooh, this is some good stuff!” Soo-won uncorked the bottle and took a sip, then passed the bottle back. “Well, Jae-ha, you’ve become quite famous! The whole city is talking about you.”

“You shouldn’t sound so happy about that,” Jae-ha protested. “Won’t it be a problem, later on? If too many people see it—see me—as something that legitimizes Soo-jin’s claim to the throne …”

Soo-won waved a hand in dismissal. “That’s something that can be dealt with. Anyway, Jae-ha, it’s you that people are excited about, not Soo-jin.” He moved to sit down on the floor, and Jae-ha followed suit.

“Well, your plan worked, just like you said it would, anyway,” said Jae-ha. “I’ve got to put up with this whole ugly performance, but Soo-jin trusts me.”

“Come, now, it’ll go better if you find at least some aspect of it to enjoy.”

Jae-ha considered. He didn’t _want_ to—this was everything about the destiny of the four dragons that he’d been avoiding all his life, but— “Not hiding, that’s a little nice,” he admitted. On Gi-gan’s ship, he hadn’t hidden his powers, but to be here, in a city this size, able to use his power freely without worrying about who might see … but there were too many tradeoffs. When people saw his power, that was the only thing they saw. “Of course, I’m hiding other things now.” He set the bottle down. “Before anything else,” he began. “I have a question. You knew I could get close to Soo-jin. Why didn’t you—”

Soo-won met Jae-ha’s gaze. “Why didn’t I ask you to kill him?” He paused. “Kouka isn’t in a very good position right now. It’s because of Soo-jin, of course, that three of the five tribes went through a sudden change in leadership and a foreign army became intimately familiar with our defenses, but killing him now wouldn’t change that. It would only cause more confusion and chaos, and weaken us further. The moment that killing him will _strengthen_ Kouka …” He held up a hand and smiled. “But I wouldn’t ask you to do anything like that, Jae-ha. You’re not an assassin.”

Was that relief? Jae-ha didn’t consider himself a killer—maybe he’d picked that up from Captain Gi-gan—but with Soo-jin, who’d tried to kill Yona, who’d been happy to think she was dead—it wouldn’t be difficult. Still, if Soo-won had asked that … _the legends expect me to do anything for Hiryuu. Soo-jin expects that, too._ He was glad that Soo-won didn’t. “You think that moment will come, though?”

A firm nod. “We can bring that moment about.”

“Well, you know what you’re doing.” Jae-ha was happy to leave the politics to Soo-won … though there was something about the way this was all going that was bothering Jae-ha. Where did Yona fit into these plans? Maybe Soo-won just didn’t have the resources to find her right now, and assumed that she’d follow his lead when she turned up. And that was probably true, too—Soo-won _did_ know what he was doing. Still, he’d feel a lot better about this whole operation once he saw her.

“King Soo-jin knows that the Kai Empire is a threat,” said Jae-ha, leaning back as he shifted subjects.

Soo-won nodded. “He’s not stupid. What did he promise Li Hazara, in exchange for his army’s assistance?”

“The same in return, basically.”

“I see,” said Soo-won. “Li Hazara isn’t stupid, either.”

“Hm?”

“The Kai Empire is even less stable than Kouka, right now,” Soo-won explained. “Soo-jin made the mistake of thinking of it as a single nation, but basically, Kai’s provinces can be thought of as individual countries. Soo-jin probably saw it as a fair trade—Li Hazara helps him gain power in Kouka, and in return, he helps Li Hazara gain power in Kai. But in reality, Kouka was weakened by the upset in power, while whatever push Li Hazara makes in Kai will strengthen the Sen Province.”

“Soo-jin is worried about them gaining a permanent foothold in Kouka,” said Jae-ha. “Li Hazara supposedly marched his entire army back home, but …”

“Oh, I’m sure he did,” said Soo-won. “He _needs_ his entire army back home. Right now, individual spies and agents are more of a concern.”

“Well, anyway, Soo-jin asked me to scout out the northern border, near the pass they came through.”

“He’s asking you to perform reconnaissance missions?”

“I mean,” said Jae-ha. “I _can_ cover ground quicker than anyone else, and with a better vantage point, too.” He took another drink. “Though to be perfectly honest, I think Soo-jin still has no idea what to do with me. A dragon warrior _sounds_ impressive, but there’s no easy way to fit me in to his military structure.”

“You know, in the time of legends, the four dragons were leaders of their tribes.”

Jae-ha almost spat out his drink. “Do _not_ —don’t even mention that! That’s gotta be bad luck to say it out loud.”

Soo-won laughed. “The Wind Tribe already named a new general, so I think you’re safe.” That was relatively recent news, but Jae-ha wasn’t surprised Soo-won had heard it. “Though Soo-jin will need to decide what to do about the Sky Tribe soon. He’ll choose someone he thinks he can control, with no close connections to the previous royal family or to General Ju-doh …”

“Well, if Ouryuu shows up, he’s welcome to it,” said Jae-ha. The Sky Tribe had been the yellow dragon’s, right?

“And he won’t pick a military leader, either,” Soo-won went on. “He’ll want to leave the Sky Tribe in a weakened position. Hasn’t he mentioned any names?”

“There was one name that came up,” Jae-ha remembered. “Someone named Keishuk. But there’s nothing official …” He broke off, seeing Soo-won’s narrowed eyes. “You know him?”

Soo-won nodded. “That’s … very interesting.”

“Not an ally, then,” said Jae-ha. If he was, Soo-won wouldn’t have been surprised by this news.

“No,” said Soo-won. “No, not at all. But he could be helpful, regardless. At any rate, he’s someone I’ll want to watch carefully.” Thunder rumbled in the distance outside; it sounded like the rain that had threatened to fall all day had finally arrived. “That won’t be a problem for you, going back to the castle, will it?”

“Actually,” said Jae-ha, “flying through a thunderstorm can be quite magnificent.”

“Well then, you’ll have to show me, sometime.” Soo-won stood up and walked over the window, opening it to gaze out through the cool summer rain in the direction of the palace. “Say, Jae-ha, speaking of the Sky Tribe’s general, if you’re traveling into the Fire Tribe, I have a favor to ask of you …”

 

The city of Saika stood out in sharp contrast to the rest of the Fire Tribe. Jae-ha had passed near a few small villages on his way here, and while he hadn’t gone into any of them, from a distance, they looked like ghost towns. Saika would have its slums too, of course, but at night, it was the colorful lights lining the wealthier districts that caught his eyes. Jae-ha had never been to Saika before; he didn’t know if this was a celebration, or just a custom, but either way, it was stunning.

He didn’t bother trying to find an inn—he didn’t intend to stay long, and had left his supplies hidden outside the city. As far as Soo-jin knew, Jae-ha was investigating the near Kai, scouting out the border’s weaknesses. He wasn’t supposed to be in Saika until after that, when he reported what he’d found to Soo-jin’s son Kyo-ga. Tonight’s task wouldn’t slow him down, but he couldn’t let anyone know he was here.

Jae-ha had assumed that the defeated general of the Sky Tribe would be locked away in a dungeon somewhere, but that turned out not to be the case. He'd had to go digging through Soo-jin’s records to learn that the former general was being kept in confinement at an estate in the Fire Tribe’s capital. Defending the rightful king at the time could hardly be considered treason, and Ju-doh had surrendered at the end, so treating him like some kind of criminal might send the wrong message to the other tribes. And keeping him in Saika rather than placing him under house arrest in his own home would isolate him from any potential allies ... well, that was the idea, at any rate.

_So … which house is his prison, then?_ But the presence of soldiers and armed guards gave it away easily. Though it stood on what seemed to be a relatively well-off street, it wasn’t particularly large, and seemed shabby in comparison to the neighboring estates. Belatedly, Jae-ha realized that was because this house wasn’t decorated with the colorful lanterns that lit up the rest of the city.

He leapt onto the roof, and then, with a quick glance out toward the guards, dropped down onto one of the balconies. Avoiding the soldiers wasn’t gong to be a problem, but there were sure to be servants inside who’d report back to either Soo-jin or Kyo-ga if they heard anything. Well, then, he’d just have to be quick. This balcony, the largest one, should enter into the former general’s chambers, but Jae-ha took a careful glance through a window to make sure. Despite the late hour, Ju-doh was not asleep, but sat in front of a desk. Jae-ha couldn’t tell if he was reading or writing, but whatever it was, it had his full attention, and that was what mattered. He slid the door open as gently as he could, then quietly stepped inside, coming up behind the man with a hand over his mouth and a blade at his throat. The former general wasn’t a small man, but he didn’t struggle as Jae-ha forcibly led him back out onto the balcony, then lifted him up and jumped back up to the rooftop.

“Sorry about that,” said Jae-ha, putting his knife away. “But I had to make sure you’d stay quiet. Now we’ve got a little more privacy.”

Ju-doh looked him up and down. “You’re Soo-jin’s dragon warrior,” he said. Jae-ha sighed—so that news had come this far already? The former general gave a slight nod, more to himself than to Jae-ha, it seemed. “And I suppose if I call out to my guards, they’ll pretend not to hear,” he said.

It took a moment for Jae-ha to realize what Ju-doh meant by that, but when it clicked, he froze, then stepped back. “You—you think the king sent me to kill you.” Soo-jin couldn’t execute Ju-doh for the same reasons he couldn’t throw him in a dungeon, but if the former general were to die quietly, without witnesses— _You’re not an assassin_ , Soo-won had said. Had he expected others to think that?

“I have nothing to say to you,” Ju-doh said, stiffly.

“Breaking into someone’s room in the middle of the night to kill them would go against my aesthetic,” said Jae-ha, with a sigh. “And Soo-jin doesn’t know I’m here.” He paused, but Ju-doh didn’t reply. “Anyway, I don’t really have anything to say to you, either. But I have this friend, see, who has a lot to discuss with you, and since it would be easier for everyone involved to do that back in Kuuto, he asked me to come get you. You know him, don’t you?” Jae-ha smiled. “A merchant named Won?”

It took Ju-doh a moment to react. Then the corner of his mouth turned up, ever so slightly, into a grin. “You’re right,” he said. “There’s a lot I’d like to say to him right now.”

“Well then, let’s—”

“To start with, he shouldn’t be wasting time like this! What was he thinking, getting someone to pretend to be Soo-jin’s dragon warrior? This isn’t some kind of game!”

Jae-ha blinked. The former general had seemed so stoic and composed, but it appeared he had a short temper where Soo-won was concerned. “Who said anything about pretending?” he asked. “I carried you up here, didn’t I?”

Ju-doh glanced back down at the balcony. “That’s hardly what I’d call flying.”

“Well then, shall I see if I can impress you?” It was hard to leap with any grace, carrying a man as heavy as himself, but Jae-ha was sure that the sheer distance, soaring over the brightly-lit streets in the central part of town and coming down to land in a narrow, deserted alleyway, then up again, until they were well outside the city gates, would be convincing enough. “I _am_ Ryokuryuu,” he said. “The only part that’s pretend is the part where I’m Soo-jin’s.”

“I’d ask you how Lord Soo-won managed to pull that off,” said Ju-doh, shaking his head, “but I’m not sure I want to know.”

“Well, you can ask him yourself,” said Jae-ha. “He’s in Kuuto, and he seemed to think you’d be able to find him. I left some supplies out here—” He looked around, spotted the tree where he’d stashed his packs, and quickly jumped over to retrieve them— “since it’s a long trip back, if you’re walking. Which, sorry, but you are,” he added, setting the larger of the packs down and shouldering his own. “I have other things to do. But you’re a military man, so I’m sure you can manage. Anyway,” he said with a slight shrug, ignoring the unspoken protest on the former general’s face, “here you are.”

 

_Now, if the rest of this dragon warrior business could be filled with such daring rescues, I might be able to get used to it … of course, I’d rather rescue pretty girls._ Scouting near the border with Kai was boring work. It wasn’t the flat, open stretch of border that Li Hazara’s army had passed through before that worried King Soo-jin; that area had been guarded by soldiers of both nations since well before Soo-jin’s coup. It was the mountains further east, full of narrow trails, half of which didn’t exist on any map, that concerned him. There was no way any sort of fighting force could enter Kouka this way, but if Li Hazara wanted to send agents into the country, there were any number of routes they could take to avoid the eyes of the border guards.

Jae-ha scribbled out some final notes from the day’s expedition on his map as the last bit of sunlight faded from the sky. It hadn’t taken him long to get to the border from Saika, but scouting out all the mountain passes was taking him longer than expected. He could see why Soo-jin didn’t want to entrust this task to someone who was tied to the ground. The light of his campfire was fading, too, and Jae-ha rolled up the map, putting it back in his pack. He should be able to finish this job tomorrow—although the mountains seemed to get more and more maze-like as he proceeded … _what am I doing? I’m thinking about this like I really am Soo-jin’s dragon warrior._ What did this have to do with keeping Yona safe? But Kouka was her kingdom, too. Li Hazara was Soo-jin’s ally, right now, though it seemed that neither really trusted the other. But when Soo-jin wasn’t king anymore, all those agreements between nations would mean nothing. _So guarding against threats like this_ will _help Yona, in the long run._ Anyway, as long as Soo-jin was asking him to do jobs like _this_ , he wasn’t asking him to do jobs like _that_ … So really, this was good all around.

Dousing the remnants of his campfire, Jae-ha grabbed his pack and jumped up into the dense branches of an overhanging tree. Something about this area—or maybe just thinking about the work he was doing—was making him feel uneasy, nervous, and he didn’t want to sleep out in the open. He’d camped here the previous night, too, and the trees provided both comfort and shelter that the ground didn’t offer. Last night, he’d slept soundly, but this time, he woke in the middle of the night, after the moon had set but well before dawn. That uneasy feeling had grown stronger … _it’s not just me._ Someone was out there. Someone was watching him. Not a soldier, not a spy, but— _shit. I should have_ —if he’d focused more on that feeling earlier, instead of trying to ignore it, he’d have realized the blue dragon was nearby, would have been able to avoid him. Too late for that now.

Jae-ha shifted in his perch, looking down, trying to spot his watcher. He hadn’t wanted to deal with another one of the four dragons now—hadn’t wanted to deal with any of them ever—and he _could_ just fly away, but if the blue dragon had already sensed him, then with his own situation as precarious as it was, this was something he really ought to deal with. _I definitely don’t need this guy following me back to the palace._ The blue dragon was the one with good vision, right? So he could be watching from anywhere … Jae-ha sighed and leapt down to the ground, making a slight bow in the general direction of the presence he felt. “Seiryuu, right?”

A figure stepped out from behind a tree. _Crap, I didn’t realize he was so close._ And jeez, what was with this guy? Bare sword in hand, face hidden by some kind of frightening mask, the blue dragon looked ready to kill the first person he saw. Jae-ha lifted his hands. “Hey, hey,” he said. “Not a threat, okay?”

Seiryuu lowered his sword and stepped closer. “You’re … a green dragon,” he said. His soft voice didn’t match his imposing figure at all.

“Right,” said Jae-ha. “I’m Ryokuryuu.”

The two dragons stared at each other in silence a little longer. Finally, Seiryuu spoke again. “… leave.”

“Is your village near here?” Jae-ha asked. “I wasn’t looking for you.” He remembered everything his own village had done to keep outsiders away … if Seiryuu still lived in his village, it seemed he was allowed more freedom than Jae-ha had been.

“You … were searching.”

“I was looking for pathways through the mountains,” Jae-ha explained. “Nothing to do with you. Once I map out the area, I’ll get out of your hair.”

Seiryuu tilted his head a little, then nodded, turned, and began walking away. _Wait, he’s just leaving? He’s just going to accept that?_ As the figure of the blue dragon faded away into the darkness, Jae-ha turned back towards the tree where he’d made camp. None of that had gone the way he’d envisioned meeting the other dragon warriors, not at all. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Ah!” He spun around, it was Seiryuu again—who else would it be—but— “What’re you—?”

“You were searching,” Seiryuu repeated. “Ryokuryuu … isn’t an enemy, so … I’ll show you.”

Jae-ha blinked. “You … wanted me to follow you. Next time say something, okay?” Seiryuu nodded. “And thank you, but I can’t see in the dark, so if you want to help me scout the area, we’ll have to wait until morning.” Seiryuu nodded again. “So … I’m going to go back to sleep.”

_What a strange person,_ Jae-ha thought, as he tried to get comfortable again. _And young, too._ Jae-ha hadn’t really consciously thought about it, but he supposed he’d expected the other dragon warriors to be older, more like officers … but then, he’d also expected Hiryuu to be someone like Soo-jin, hadn’t he? When morning came, Jae-ha woke to find Seiryuu sitting cross-legged on the ground beneath him, staring up at him. “Morning,” he called out, jumping down. As he did so, Seiryuu stood up. _I hope he got some sleep, too._ Jae-ha opened his pack and pulled out a couple of rice rolls. “I’ve got some food for before we start—want some?” Seiryuu didn’t reply, but Jae-ha handed him a rice roll anyway, then pulled out his map. “This is what I’ve got already,” he said. “Did I miss anything? Or …” he paused, seeing how Seiryuu stared at the piece of paper. “Don’t you know how to read a map? Well, you can just show me, then.” Seiryuu nodded; that was what he’d planned from the start, after all. “Um, also … a squirrel is eating your food.” The blue dragon just pulled off another bit of rice and set it in front of the little rodent. _It’s a pet?_ “Oh, can I …?” Jae-ha tore off chunk of his own rice roll and watched the squirrel eagerly stuff its cheeks. “Heh, that’s pretty cute …” He turned back to Seiryuu. “So, if you know the area, I’ll follow your lead.” Seiryuu shook his head. “No?”

“I … saw you fly,” said Seiryuu.

“Right,” said Jae-ha. “That’s the green dragon’s power.”

“It’s faster.”

“You want me to carry you? I can do that, but I need you to tell me when you see something, all right?” Another nod. And there were a few awkward moments, but together, they finished scouting the border by mid-afternoon. With a bit of coaxing, Jae-ha had been able to get Seiryuu to tell him that bandits and smugglers used these trails, and that he sometimes had to fight to keep them away from his village. “That was a really big help,” he said, as he rolled up his map again. “We make a good team, huh?” Only silence in response, of course. “Say, Seiryuu … you’re all right here, aren’t you?” The blue dragon seemed to be in good health, but the way he spoke, or rather, didn’t … well, some people were just quiet, but Jae-ha couldn’t help but worry. “What I mean is, you’re not just staying out here in the middle of nowhere because you think you have to wait for some king to come get you, right?”

“… no …”

“Because I don’t know anything about your village, but there’s a lot more to the world, and if you wanted to come back with me, you could—” He could what? _If he came with me, I’d basically be forcing the fate of the four dragons onto him. There’s no way I can do that._ “Well, you probably shouldn’t come with me,” Jae-ha amended. “But there are all sorts of things in the world, you could go anywhere…”

“I … belong here,” Seiryuu said, and Jae-ha nodded. It hadn’t escaped his notice that Seiryuu had never let Jae-ha get close enough to actually see his village—he must really care about protecting it. Well, Jae-ha certainly wasn’t going to force the young dragon into something he didn’t want to do.

“We’re both dragons,” he said. “So we’ll probably see each other again.”

Seiryuu nodded. “Like the yellow dragon,” he said.

_Wait, what?_ “You met Ouryuu?” Another nod. _That’s interesting_ … so Ouryuu must have left his village to travel, too, then. And if he was seeking out the other dragons … well, that was a worry for another day. “You’re the first other dragon I’ve met,” Jae-ha said. “And you know,” he added, only just realizing the truth in what he was about to say, “I never wanted to meet any of you, but I’m glad I did.” With a smile, he turned and began to walk away—he couldn’t explain it, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to fly away from the blue dragon just yet. “Take care!”

After some time, Jae-ha turned to look back. He thought he could still make out a figure in the distance, though it might be his imagination. _But if it is still Seiryuu there, he could probably watch me walk all the way to Saika._ And since Jae-ha obviously wouldn’t be doing that … he gave one final wave, and leapt into the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering about Shin-ah meeting Zeno, yes, there was another meeting that took place in this AU that didn't happen in canon. Stay tuned for a future side story for an explanation!
> 
> (also, I just want to say, having to refer to Shin-ah only as "Seiryuu" here ... *cries* ... and Jae-ha is going to feel so awful for leaving when he learns what Seiryuu Village is really like)


	7. Chapter 6

Yona gazed up at the sky. It was a bright, warm day—a good day for a beginning. “I’m ready,” she said.

“Good,” Yoon replied. “We’ve got a long way to go, and we need to make a good start today.” To Yona’s surprise, after she had decided to set out to find the four dragon warriors, Ik-soo had asked that she and Hak take the boy with them. Even though Yona still hadn’t gotten to know Yoon very well across the few days they’d spent recovering at Ik-soo’s house, she was grateful to have an additional companion on their journey.

She turned back to the priest. “Thank you,” she said. Yoon and Ik-soo had already made their farewells, but Yona couldn’t help noticing the tears Yoon tried to hide as they walked out of the valley.

“According to Ik-soo, one of the four dragons lives in the mountains of the Earth Tribe, and you said that ten years ago, Ryokuryuu lived in Awa, also in the Earth Tribe.” Yoon indicated the locations on his map. “It’s fortunate that they’re not that far apart.”

“Princess,” Hak began. “I still think we should seek out Lord Soo-won, first.”

“Hm?” Yoon asked. “Ik-soo said we needed to track down the dragons …”

“And we’ll definitely do that,” said Yona. “But I think Hak is right. When I left the Wind Tribe, I said I wasn’t going to wait for him to take action on my behalf. Running to go find him the first thing I do feels a little like going backwards, but … it’s Soo-won. He’s always making plans, so I’m sure he’s already decided what to do, too. If I _don’t_ find him, he’ll probably do something without me just as if I was doing nothing.” She glanced up at Hak. “Won’t he, Hak?”

Hak nodded. “There’s a good chance he doesn’t even think the two of us are alive,” he said. “We should connect with him before too much more time passes.”

“That makes sense,” Yoon allowed. “However, we shouldn’t let this distract us too much from our goal.”

“Already acting like you’re in charge,” Hak teased.

“I _am_ a handsome genius,” Yoon said. “Of course I know what I’m doing.”

“But it’s fine,” said Yona. “Before … everything happened, Soo-won was visiting Chi’shin, which isn’t out of the way at all.”

“I doubt he’s still there,” said Hak. “That was weeks ago.”

“But General Geun-tae might have some idea where he went, right? Would it be safe to ask him?”

Hak frowned. “I don’t know … I’d be surprised if Geun-tae really supports Soo-jin, but …”

“Look, you two,” said Yoon. “We’re headed in the same direction regardless, so let’s get going.”

 

Yona wondered, though, if going after Soo-won first was really the right choice. After all, the priest had said … he’d said that without the dragons, Hak would die. _No, no, that wasn’t what he said._ He’d said that if she continued down her path without allies, Hak would die, and then told her that the dragon warriors were the allies she should seek out. And the path she had chosen—removing Soo-jin from her father’s throne— _well, Hak and I would both die if we tried something like that alone._ She didn’t need a prophecy to see that. Yona was worried about Hak—after seeing him so close to death, she’d never _stop_ being worried about Hak—but she didn’t have to assume his life was in immediate danger just because of something that priest said. If she chose to seek out the dragon warriors before Soo-won, it shouldn’t be for that reason.

She thought back to the last time she’d seen Soo-won, at her birthday celebration, when everything had been right in the world. Except … at the time, things hadn’t felt right. Her worries then seemed frivolous when compared to everything that had happened since, but … _I was upset because Soo-won didn’t take me seriously. Because he never talked to me about his plans, because I felt like I was falling further and further behind._ Back then, both of their dreams for the future had been just that—dreams. Now, both she and Soo-won, wherever he was, were in a position to do something very real. Were in a position where they _had_ to do something. When they were children, they’d made plans to protect the kingdom together. _I want to go back to that. I won’t allow myself to fall behind again._

 

On the second day of their journey, they stopped in a small town where Hak found a shop to buy more weapons. He’d retrieved his glaive after their fall, but lost everything else. As they left the town and started down the road again—though it was getting late and the town did have an inn, they were still in Fire Tribe lands, and sleeping outside was safer—Yona eyed Hak’s new bow. It wouldn’t be too big for her … _whether I take Ik-soo’s warning seriously or not, Hak_ is _going to be in danger._ If Yona couldn’t count on herself to save him, she could at least make herself stronger, at least give herself a better chance. That night, when Hak and Yoon were asleep, she reached for the bow. It wasn’t like she’d never hit a target before—she knew _how_ to shoot—and she tried to think back to her practice sessions on the palace training grounds. _Back when this was all a game._ But as she drew the bowstring back, aiming for a tree in the distance, pain welled up in her chest, and the image that came to mind was not a steady target on the training grounds, but—

“Princess.” Hak’s hand on her shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Hak!” She collapsed back against him.

“You’re still injured. You shouldn’t exert yourself.”

“I—” She turned to face him, and Hak’s eyes widened.

“Princess, what’s wrong?” He gently pried the bow and arrow out of her hands, and Yona reached up to rub the tears from her eyes.

“I—I keep seeing Father’s face. When I couldn’t save him, and then—when I couldn’t save you, it was like he was watching me then, and—Hak, he saw. When I tried to save him, he saw.”

Hak shook his head. “You were too far away, Princess. He didn’t even know you were there.”

“He saw me, I know it. And his face, right then … Father never wanted me to touch a weapon, and his expression right then … even to save him, he didn’t want …”

“Of course he didn’t want you to,” said Hak, pulling her close. “Princess … even if you’d shot Soo-jin then, you could have easily been killed by Fire Tribe soldiers. If there was anything His Majesty saw, if there was anything he didn’t want to happen, it was that.”

“I—I never cared about disappointing him, when he was alive. I thought what he said about weapons was foolish and cowardly, so if I went against his wishes, it didn’t matter, but …”

“The thing about weapons,” said Hak, “is that they’re tools. His Majesty only saw weapons as tools for taking lives. And in a way, that’s true—at their heart, that’s what weapons are for. But Princess, whenever you’ve taken up weapons, you’ve done so to _save_ lives. I don’t know what His Majesty would think, but … I’m not disappointed, Princess.”

Yona blinked up at him. “Even though … even though I couldn’t save you?”

“Stop saying that,” Hak said. “I’m not dead.” He sighed. “It’s true that at the time, I wished that you’d stayed hidden, kept yourself safe. But if you had, I probably _would_ be dead. So, whatever else you want to tell yourself about that time, stop saying you couldn’t save me.”

_Is … is that true? I … saved him?_ No, that didn’t line up, didn’t follow the way she’d felt as they tumbled over that cliffside together … _Hak is alive, though._ Her tears, which she’d managed to suppress, returned in full force. “Hak, you’re acting so serious …”

Abruptly, he drew back from her. “I just can’t stand that ugly face you make when you cry,” he said. “So I can’t have you crying about things that aren’t true.”

“Hey!” But that wasn’t it. _He really meant all that._  Yona wiped her eyes again. “Hak, I want to become stronger.” She _could_ use a weapon. She could draw a bow without thinking back to that night … she could save Hak.

Hak nodded. “I’ll train you,” he said. “After you’ve fully recovered.” Yona opened her mouth to protest, but Hak didn’t let her speak. “I’d say the same to any soldier. There’s no way you can learn proper techniques with a fractured rib.”

What he said made sense. That pain she’d felt … it hadn’t just been an emotional reaction. As much as she wanted to become stronger as soon as possible, she knew he was right. “Thank you, Hak.” What Hak had said … that was enough, for now.  
  


* * *

  
A week passed before they came to Chi’shin; Yoon insisted on keeping to a slow pace for the sake of Yona and Hak’s recovery. “I still don’t like this,” Yoon said as the city gates came into view. “It seems awfully risky.”

“General Geun-tae isn’t our enemy,” said Hak. He’d had plenty of time to think about it during their week of travel, plenty of time to come to a decision. And it _was_ risky, but … no matter how he turned it around in his head, he just couldn’t see Geun-tae handing them over to Soo-jin. Not when Soo-jin probably thought they were dead already. That wasn’t the general he knew.

“Maybe the princess and I should stay outside the city,” Yoon suggested. “Since neither of us can fight, we’d just get in your way, if it comes to that.”

“No!” Yona protested. “Hak can’t go in by himself!”

“Princess, I think the Thunder Beast can take care of—”

“Splitting up the group is riskier,” Hak said, cutting Yoon off. Though the boy was right that he and Yona couldn’t fight, there was no way Hak could leave Yona’s side. “Besides, if we want any sort of help from Geun-tae, he’ll want to confirm that the princess is alive with his own eyes.”

“There are bound to be people in Chi’shin Castle who’d recognize you two,” said Yoon. “Do you trust all of them as much as you trust the general?” Hak frowned. That _was_ the problem.

“But in the rest of the city, no one should know us,” said Yona. “So what we need to do is to get Geun-tae to come down from the castle and meet us there.”

“And that would mean there’d be no way we could be walking into a trap …” mused Yoon. He turned to Hak. “How do we get him to come see us?”

 

“He’s taking too long …” Yona’s hands played nervously with the edges of her hood, still hanging low over her face, hiding her hair.

“He’s not,” Hak reassured her. “Everything’s fine.” And as if in response to that, the door of the tavern opened, and Yoon returned, making his way to the far corner where Hak and Yona waited. “You did it?”

Yoon nodded. “I went to the palace, I told them I had a message for the general’s ears only, just like you said. And they just let me right in!”

“And Geun-tae?”

“I told him that the former general of the Wind Tribe wanted to meet with him. I never used your name.”

“Good,” Hak nodded. “With any luck, anyone who gets wind of this meeting will think it was Mundok.”

“Are you sure that man’s a general?” Yoon asked. “He wasn’t even fully dressed!”

Hak laughed. “That’s Geun-tae for you,” he said.

They ordered a meal, then moved to a private room to wait. It wasn’t long before the door flew open and General Geun-tae himself burst into the room. “Mundok, you sly old fox!” he began. “What is this? Rebellion?” Then he paused, looking at the room’s occupants. “…Hak?” Hak stood up. “Hak! You’re not dead!” He threw an arm over Hak’s shoulder, but Hak ducked out of the other man’s grasp. “So what is this,” he asked again. “Rebellion?”

“You seem awfully excited about rebellion,” Yoon muttered.

“Well, see, I never much liked Soo-jin,” said Geun-tae. “I can’t fault his goal—he was a good fighter, had it in him to be a strong king, you know? Not like that weak King Il.” Hak saw Yona flinch in her seat—with her hood still hiding her face and hair, Geun-tae clearly hadn’t realized who she was. First Yoon, now this … what must be going through Yona’s head, hearing the way others spoke of her father? Hak, too, wanted to tell Geun-tae to speak with a little more respect—but Yona remained silent, and she had far more right to speak up than Hak did. “Thing is,” Geun-tae continued, “before, I thought I could at least count on Soo-jin to have my back. If he’d come to me with his plans, I’d have fought by his side. But to ally with our enemies? With the Kai Empire? That’s not a king I’ll serve. So—excited? Yeah,” the general said, with a grin. “Rebellion’s exciting.” _He’s bold, to say he’d have rebelled against Il too._ And Geun-tae knew that Hak, that the Wind Tribe, had always backed Il. _Is he trying to get a rise?_ “It’s good to see the Wind Tribe taking a stand,” Geun-tae continued. “Strong fighters like you shouldn’t be so passive.” Yeah, he was definitely aiming for a reaction.

Abruptly, Yona threw back her hood and stood up. “The Wind Tribe was the only tribe that refused to give Soo-jin their support,” she said. “You say you can’t serve Soo-jin, but did _you_ go that far? Did you send your army against the foreign invaders? You have no right to talk about being passive! Not when Hak is the only one—”

Hak grinned. _Not the reaction you were expecting?_ “I forgot to mention,” he said. “Her highness, the Princess Yona, isn’t dead, either.”

Geun-tae gaped at her. “… Princess? _This_ is King Il’s daughter? The one he never let outside the palace?”

Yona held his gaze. “I may not be who my father wanted me to be. I may be going down a path he wouldn’t have chosen. Nevertheless, he _was_ your king. And I _am_ his daughter. And I intend, with my cousin Soo-won, to take back what was stolen.”

“So, General,” Hak concluded. “Is that the kind of rebellion you’re looking for?”

Geun-tae let out a laugh. “I like your spirit, Princess. When do we start?”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute, hold up!” Hak, Yona, and Geun-tae all turned to look at Yoon. “We can’t do this now! We have to—” He broke off, apparently not wanting to bring up the quest for the dragons in front of Geun-tae. Yona nodded.

“Yoon is right, General,” she said. “We don’t start now. Well, we don’t start fighting now. I’m not ready.”

Geun-tae sighed and rolled his eyes. “That’s what Soo-won said, too.”

“Then you _have_ seen him!”

“Huh? You didn’t know?”

“We … ran into trouble when the princess was driven out of the palace,” Hak explained. “We haven’t had a chance to reunite with Lord Soo-won.”

“Well, he knew about this invasion before it happened, somehow,” Geun-tae said, scratching his head. “He came here with that crazy story, asking me to march my army on Kuuto and Hiryuu Castle—which of course I didn’t! It would have been exciting, but with King Il’s prohibition against war—and I didn’t believe Soo-jin would do something like that. By the time it was confirmed, it was already over. And _then_ Soo-won said that the window for taking action had passed, and it was better to wait …”

Hold on—Soo-won knew what Soo-jin was planning? _Why didn’t he tell me? Why didn’t he tell King Il?_ To know, and to not—but no, he’d come here, he _had_ taken action … _so Soo-won, too, didn’t trust Il to defend his kingdom._ Hak knew that the king had been no coward, but … _I was there. Even when he knew what was coming … Il put the lives of his people above his own tenure. It was, perhaps, an admirable sentiment, but couldn’t he see that he was handing his kingdom over to someone who gave no thought to the lives of the people at all?_

“Is Soo-won still here?” Yona asked.

“No, he went back to Kuuto.”

The princess frowned. “Well,” she said. “Really, we came here looking for him. But I wanted to see where you stood, too.”

“I think it’s clear where I stand,” said Geun-tae. “Show me you have the strength—not just to take the throne, but to _do_ some thing with it, and I’ll back you. And don’t get me worked up like this if you’re _not_ doing anything!” Yona smiled. “But, Princess,” Geun-tae added. “Don’t wait too long. Kai’s army returned home, but Soo-jin isn’t getting any weaker, not in Hiryuu Castle with his so-called Dragon Warrior at his side.”

“—what?” All three of Yona’s party looked at Geun-tae with mouths agape.

“I guess you wouldn’t have heard that,” said Geun-tae. “Soo-jin claims to have one of the four legendary dragons at his side, like he really was Hiryuu. People say he really can fly, but I don’t buy it.”

Yona and Hak turned to look at each other. “We need to go back to Kuuto,” she said.

“Princess, that’s the heart of your enemy’s stronghold.”

“That didn’t stop Soo-won,” Yona countered. “Hak, we _have_ to. He’s got—” She was already pulling her cloak back on over her shoulders.

“Princess,” said Hak. “I know this is no palace, but you have a general for a guest. You can’t just rush out.”

Yona flushed pink, then turned back to Geun-tae. “I’m sorry, General Geun-tae,” she said. “But there’s—there’s something really important I need to—”

“Seems like we’re done here, anyway,” said Geun-tae. Yona flushed again, nodding.

“Princess,” said Hak. “Why don’t you and Yoon go take care of our tab.”

“Right,” said Yoon.

“So,” said Geun-tae, as soon as Yoon and Yona left the room. “That’s Il’s daughter. I can’t believe he managed to keep her locked away!”

“He had his work cut out for him,” Hak agreed.

“She and Soo-won, side by side—they could do it, couldn’t they?”

“I believe in them.”

“Ah, well, of course you do,” said Geun-tae. “I like her spark. I want to see what she can do, but—sometimes it seems like my own tribe’s falling apart at the seams. I need a king who can do something for us—and I don’t think Soo-jin’s it. But until I see someone who is—I have to think of my own people.”

“Of course,” said Hak. It was about as much support as he’d expected from Geun-tae. “But don’t wait too long. Thank you for meeting with us, General.” He turned and left the room, following after Yona and Yoon, who were waiting for him near the door.

“Well?” Yona asked. “What was it you said about no one taking me seriously as a rebel leader?”

Hak smiled. Of course she would remember that comment. “You started out well,” he said. In fact, Hak was impressed. Even rushing out at the end like that, she’d made an impression on the general, one Hak didn’t think Geun-tae would forget anytime soon.

“I just couldn’t stand to hear him talking like that about the Wind Tribe,” she said. “About you.” And what Hak had felt when she’d stood up like that— _I don’t understand her. Sometimes it seems like she doubts herself so much, and then she surprises me with something like that._ “But Hak,” Yona said. “What he said—we have to go to Kuuto. If Jae-ha is—”

“If Ryokuryuu allied himself with King Soo-jin, I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it,” said Yoon. “We should keep going to find Hakuryuu.”

Yona turned on him. “You don’t understand! Jae-ha would never—Soo-jin must have some sort of hold over him! Jae-ha would never serve him willingly! Right, Hak?”

It was true—serving a king, any king, was about the last thing that the Jae-ha Hak remembered would do. But— “It’s been ten years, Princess. People can change a lot in ten years.”

“Not like this,” Yona said, shaking her head.

“Princess, going to Kuuto, right now—”

“I know it’s dangerous,” said Yona. “I’ll be careful. But Soo-won’s there, too, and—what right do I have to take back the throne, if I don’t even _try_ to protect my friends?”


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this update has been so long in coming. Hopefully the chapters will come a little more regularly from here on out--as well as finishing this chapter, I also outlined the story all the way to the end. If this chapter feels a little bit disjointed, it's probably because some pieces of it were written more than a year ago and other pieces were written within the past week. But I thought it best to go ahead and post.

The sun beat down over the wide, empty road, and Yona wished she could pull back the hood of her cloak. She understood the need for it, though. This road might be empty at the moment, but it was the main highway between Chi’shin and Saika, and eventually would split off to become the main route from both those cities into Kuuto. The recent battle might have slowed down trade a little bit, but Yona, Hak, and Yoon had still passed several other travelers—fortunately, no soldiers were among them. Thankfully, they seemed to have passed unrecognized.

“It really is summer, isn’t it?” Yona asked.

Yoon nodded. “We’re already past the solstice.”

“It’s been…almost two months…” Yona murmured to herself. “It doesn’t feel that long.” The memory of that day felt as fresh in her mind as yesterday. What had she done in those two months? She felt like she’d kept running from place to place, aimless, without a real plan in mind. Everything up until now had felt uncertain—finding the priest, when she didn’t know what real help he could provide. Searching for Soo-won, when she didn’t know if he needed her at all. This—going back to Kuuto to find Jae-ha—this felt like the first _real_ thing she’d done. “We’ll get back to Kuuto soon, right?”

Beside her, Hak nodded. “We should reach the town of Taren tonight. That’s where the road splits off. It’s a pretty big town, since it’s where the roads from three capitals meet. We’ll have to be careful.”

Yona nodded. “And after that?”

“We’ll be there in less than a day.”

“Good,” said Yona. “I want to find Jae-ha as soon as possible. Hak—he’ll remember me, right?”

“I don’t think he could forget,” said Hak, drily.

“There’s one possibility you haven’t considered,” Yoon pointed out. “This might not be the green dragon you know at all. Su-jin might have a fake, to make his rule seem more legitimate.” _In which case, we’ve come all the way back here for nothing,_ was the unspoken addition.

Yona almost hoped it was true. If it was, it would mean nothing bad had happened to Jae-ha—that he hadn’t somehow been forced into service against his will, or worse, actually chosen to serve Su-jin. “I don’t think so,” said Hak. “Whatever else he is, Su-jin is thorough. If he had one false dragon, he’d have all four.”

Yoon nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Hak,” said Yona. “I know I need to be careful. But I need to see Jae-ha. I need to talk to him. Whether he's there by choice or not…I can’t believe he’d hurt me. I just can’t.”

“How exactly did you meet him before?” Yoon asked. “You never did say”

Yona smiled, faint memories from her childhood becoming more clear as she called them to the front of her mind. “It was ten years ago,” she began. “I wanted to see what it was like outside the palace, so I snuck out into town, only things didn’t go exactly as planned…”

The story kept them occupied for the rest of the day’s travel, Hak occasionally interrupting to correct some minor detail, because of course he _would_. Yona began to forget her discomfort, instead remembering the times they’d spent together, she and Hak and Soo-won and Jae-ha. Things back then hadn’t all been fun and games, of course—they’d been tracking down a kidnapper—but if she found them both, could she have that feeling again? That feeling that, working together, they could do anything?

Hak broke her off from her reminiscence, stopping her with a hand on her shoulder as they crested a hill overlooking a vast valley, still green despite the summer’s heat. The road stretched out before them, and Yona could see a small town in the distance, met by two other highways. “Is that Taren Village?”

Hak nodded. “But we’ll have to change our plans. Look, there are soldiers on the Kuuto road.”

“Not surprising,” said Yoon. “If this town is what connects Kuuto and Saika, then given what’s happened…”

“But,” Yona began, “there will be soldiers in Kuuto, too, right?”

“Those we’ll have to deal with,” said Hak. “These we don’t. There’s a good place to camp about two miles south of here—Sky Army patrols know about it, but the Fire Tribe won’t. We’ll rejoin the Kuuto road in the morning.”

But as they left the road and crossed the distance towards where Hak intended them to camp—the sun finally setting and the clear sky growing dim in the time it took them to get there—it seemed that that, too, might not be an option. “Isn’t that a campfire?” Yona asked. A stretch of forest hid the light of the fire from the main road, but from the direction that they came from, the light ahead of them was obvious.

“I’ll go investigate,” said Hak. “You two wait here.”

“I don’t mind if we have to travel a little further,” Yona confessed to Yoon as they waited for Hak to return. “That just means we’ll get home sooner.”

“Home, is it?”

Yona paused. “…no.” The capital might be where home had been, but they weren’t going to the palace…and the palace might never be _home_ again. “Do you regret it?” she asked, turning the question back away from herself. “Leaving your home to travel with us? We’ve been wandering from place to place, without doing anything at all…”

“That’s not true,” Yoon insisted. “You won over a general!”

“Well…” General Geun-tae hadn’t exactly said he’d side with her. Only that he’d side against Su-jin.

“You were pretty impressive then,” said Yoon.

“But you said from the beginning that we should go straight to find Hakuryuu. And if we had…” She glanced around at their makeshift hiding place, out of sight behind a few lone trees. “We wouldn’t be in such a weak position as we are right now.”

“But after the story you told me, I understand why you can’t wait any longer to find Ryokuryuu. Princess—when I first met you, I thought you didn’t know anything about the world, and were just doing whatever you felt like. But, seeing how much you care about someone you haven’t even seen in ten years—that’s something to be admired, too. Even if you do still have a lot to learn!” Yona smiled. She took no offense at Yoon’s words—she did still have a lot to learn, and she knew it.

“We’re friends too now, you know,” she said. “I won’t leave you behind, either!”

Yoon looked away. Was he blushing, a little? Yona giggled. “I always wanted to come to the capital, anyway,” said Yoon. “So of course I won’t complain about that.”

“I wish I could show you the palace library,” Yona mused. “There were so many books there—oh, there’s Hak!” Backlit by the faint light of the campfire in the distance and by the starry sky, she could only make out his silhouette, but the shape of his glaive over his shoulder made it obvious it was him. He lifted an arm, becking the two of them to come. “Oh, it must be safe, then!”

“You’ll never guess who’s camping up ahead,” Hak said, as Yona and Yoon caught up with him.

“Who?”

“Guess.”

“Ha-ak…” Was he really going to tease her like this?

“Ryokuryuu?” Yoon suggested.

“Keep guessing…”

Yona sighed. She might as well play along. “…Soo-won?” Though she couldn’t picture Soo-won camping out in the wild like this.

“Nope.”

“Hak, I know that grin on your face. We won’t guess and you know it. Just say it!”

“No need,” said Hak. “Here we are.”

Yona could make out a lone figure sitting beside the campfire. As they approached, he stood up, giving a slight bow. “Princess Yona,” he said. “You’re really alive.”

“—General Ju-doh?” No doubt about it, it was the Sky General, who, last Yona had heard, had been defeated by Su-jin. She’d never expected to see him alive again, and without realizing what she was doing, she ran towards him, wrapping her arms around him like she was still a little girl.

“Princess—” Yona drew back at the general’s gruff tones, and smiled. Ju-doh was the same as always. “—Hak kept you safe, of course.”

Yona nodded, smiling. “And—how did _you_ get here?” If Su-jin hadn’t ordered the Sky General’s execution, as he had the king’s, then surely he’d have arrested him, at the very least.

“That’s—” Ju-doh looked away. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.” He looked like he was having trouble believing it himself, whatever it was.

“Try us,” said Hak.

“Well—Su-jin’s so-called dragon warrior, who, apparently, is really working for Lord Soo-won, got me out past Su-jin’s guards. By flying. Over the walls of Saika.” He looked like he didn’t quite want to admit to speaking the words he’d just said.

Yona and Hak just looked at each other, a grin appearing on Hak’s face. “He’s spying for Soo-won! That’s perfect!”

“You’re not even going to question the flying? General Hak, you used to have more sense than—”

“Oh, we’ve known the green dragon since we were children,” Yona said, brightly.

“You—”

“He’s the one who rescued me and brought me back to the palace when I was kidnapped,” she continued.

“—do you know how much trouble I went through, trying to figure out how you came back past the palace guards?”

“Sorry! But he asked me not to say anything,” said Yona. So Jae-ha and Soo-won had already reunited. Had the green dragon returned to the capital looking for them, then? She couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “When I heard that Su-jin had his own dragon warrior, I was so worried that he’d been forced into service against his will—we were going back to Kuuto to find him, but—I’m so glad he’s all right!”

“Yes, well, he seemed more than all right,” Ju-doh grumbled. “And he told me I’d be able to find Lord Soo-won—which tells me where he’ll be. I’ll take you to him.”

“I thought for sure you’d tell us to stay away, now that we know everyone’s safe,” said Yona.

“Believe me, I’d like nothing more. What were you thinking, Hak, bringing her back here? But Lord Soo-won will want to see you both,” Ju-doh continued, clearly not actually expecting an answer to his question. “Princess,” he said. “You’re your father’s only heir, and—”

“I know,” said Yona. “Believe me. I know.” Ju-doh nodded, apparently satisfied.

Yona reached back for Yoon’s hand, pulling him forward to introduce him. If it was due to Hak that she was still alive, well, it was because of Yoon that _Hak_ was still alive. She wouldn’t allow him to be left out.

As the others prepared their camp, Yona gazed in the direction of Kuuto. She saw only darkness, but it was so close.“Tomorrow,” she murmured. After so long, she almost couldn't believe it. Tomorrow, she'd finally see both Soo-won and Jae-ha again.

* * *

Jae-ha returned to Saika in broad daylight. From above, he could see soldiers swarming like ants throughout the city, stopping everyone who passed through the gates. No need to ask who they were searching for. _This might make things a little awkward…_

As he approached the castle, he could see a lone figure standing on the ramparts below. Too distant to make out for certain, but he was wearing rich fabrics instead of the soldiers’ standard armor. Was this the man he had come to see? He adjusted his descent, touching down beside the man. Yes, there was no mistaking the resemblance—this must be Kan Su-jin’s eldest son.

“Nice day,” he began.

The newly-appointed general of the Fire Tribe turned to face him, the surprise quickly vanishing from his face as he took in Jae-ha’s sudden appearance and realized who he must be. “Ryokuryuu,” the general said with a slight nod.

“General Kyo-ga,” Jae-ha returned.

“Saika Castle does have a front entrance,” said Kyo-ga, stiffly.

“Ah, well, the city’s a mess, so I thought I’d avoid it,” Jae-ha said. He supposed he couldn’t blame Kyo-ga for his bad mood. Guarding Ju-doh—a very important political prisoner—must have been his first task as general. His failure wasn’t his fault, but Jae-ha could hardly tell him that.

“And I suppose this way there’s no doubt who you are.”

“You’d doubt me?” Jae-ha asked. “I’m hurt.” Actually, Kyo-ga’s reaction was refreshing. In the capital, far too many courtiers treated him with flattery so obvious as to be insulting. Honest suspicion was nice…that it should come from Su-jin’s son, however, was interesting.

“Excuse me,” Kyo-ga said, looking away from Jae-ha and back out at the city below. “But all my life I was told that the four dragons were only stories.” He spoke with more resentment than seemed necessary; after all, nearly everyone in the country thought the four dragons were a myth. Unless—

“Your father demanded proof, too.” Kyo-ga looked back at Jae-ha in surprise. _He thinks his father’s been keeping secrets,_ Jae-ha realized. _I wonder what else…?_

“Then I suppose it’s good that you don’t mind showing off,” said Kyo-ga. “Why are you here?” His eyes flickered back out towards the city as he spoke.

“It’s nothing exciting,” said Jae-ha. “Reports on northern border security.”

Kyo-ga visibly relaxed. “Well then,” he said. “As you can see, I have more pressing matters to deal with at the moment. Leave them here, and—” Then he paused. “I’m forgetting myself,” he said, just as Jae-ha was beginning to hope he could leave and be done with this. “Ryokuryuu, please make a _proper_ entrance, and you'll get a proper welcome.”

Jae-ha contemplated just handing over the reports and leaving, anyway. Nothing about pretending to be Su-jin’s dragon warrior meant he had to obey any of the five generals, not even Su-jin’s son. But if there _were_ secrets between those two, it might be useful to know what they were. He nodded and stepped off the edge of the castle wall, making his way to the entrance below.

Soon, Jae-ha was drinking tea with Kyo-ga in a courtyard, explaining the notes he'd drawn up on his various maps. “Sorry it's such a mess,” he apologized. “I take pride in my beautiful handwriting, but out in the wilderness, you know how it is…”

“Enough.” Kyo-ga pushed the sheaf of papers back towards him. “Why are you really here?”

“I’m sorry?”

“This—any scouting team could have produced these reports. Isn’t it a waste of a power like yours?”

Jae-ha leaned back in his chair. “I wanted to ask your father the same thing,” he admitted. “So how do _you_ think the green dragon ought to serve his king?”

Kyo-ga blinked. Clearly he hadn’t expected to have the question turned back on him. “Well, what was your role in the battle for Hiryuu Castle?” he asked.

“Nothing,” said Jae-ha. “I came to Su-jin’s side after he was crowned king.”

“That’s the public story,” said Kyo-ga.

“It’s true,” Jae-ha assured him. _He thinks his father would hide the truth even from him?_ “I had no part in King Su-jin’s rise to power. I’m simply a beautiful accessory he’s still trying to find a use for.”

“…I see. Then—oh.”

“You didn’t know,” Jae-ha realized. “You didn’t know of your father’s plans until after the fact.”

“Do not doubt my loyalty, Ryokuryuu,” Kyo-ga warned, stiff in his chair again.

No, Jae-ha wouldn’t do that. That would be too much. Kyo-ga’s father was king, and that was that. But if he hadn’t been privy to Su-jin’s plans…was it because Su-jin didn’t trust him? Clearly Kyo-ga felt that way, but, as useful as that might be to Yona and Soo-won's cause, Jae-ha doubted it was the case. More likely it was to protect his sons in the case of failure—but no doubt Kyo-ga wouldn’t want to hear _that_ , either. “Of course not, General,” he replied. “It seems we’re in similar positions, after all.”

Kyo-ga picked the top sheet of paper back up. “Then, about these maps…”

There wasn't much more to discuss. Kyo-ga offered Jae-ha a chance to get cleaned up and a place to spend the night, but Jae-ha declined. He’d rather be back in Kuuto, even if it did mean seeing Su-jin again. It would also mean seeing Soo-won, and a chance to speak honestly again. But continuing on to Hiryuu Castle made for a very long day, and when Jae-ha finally landed inside the castle walls, he wanted nothing more than to sleep.

His hope for a restful night was dashed the moment he landed. “Lord Ryokuryuu! Thank the gods you're here!” Panicked voices of soldiers greeted him. Sleep, it seemed, would have to wait. “Come quickly! He's attacking the king!”

“Where?” At this time of night, it had to be the king’s chambers. “Who?” This wasn't any plan of Soo-won’s, and a third player in this game would complicate matters for sure.

“The—the white dragon!”

_Oh, shit._ Jae-ha dropped his bags and jumped back in the air. He knew the castle's layout by now and only took one jump to get to the king's chambers. There was no sign of Su-jin as he rushed inside—his guards must have taken him to safety—but more than a dozen soldiers were engaged in combat, and in the middle of them—

“Hakuryuu!”

The white dragon froze, and Jae-ha leapt over the soldiers to the dragon's side. Several guards had already fallen; blood dripped from the white dragon's claws, and Jae-ha winced. “Hakuryuu, stop!” The white dragon did so, lowering his hand more out of surprise than obedience, Jae-ha thought. “Stand down,” he ordered the soldiers.

“Ryokuryuu.” Hakuryuu stared at Jae-ha, his bloodthirsty expression gone, replaced by a look of wonder. He was young, and surprisingly beautiful now that he wasn't trying to kill anyone. “Ryokuryuu, it's really you. Brother…” The white dragon narrowed his eyes. “Do not tell me _you_ serve this pretender who calls himself Hiryuu. You can't. You _can't!”_ A note of pleading tinged his voice.

The soldiers were out of reach, but not out of earshot. “I serve Hiryuu,” said Jae-ha.

Hakuryuu struck out with his dragon’s claw. Jae-ha blocked it with a kick. He could see both pain and regret on Hakuryuu's face, and he could feel it, too—how wrong it was to fight another dragon. “But he's _not,_ ” Hakuryuu said. “Can't you see it's not him?”

“Leave us,” said Jae-ha to the guards.

“But—”

“This is a matter between dragons.”

“Yes, Lord Ryokuryuu.” The soldiers scattered, all but those lying injured on the ground. Unconscious and not dead—Jae-ha hoped.

“I don't want to fight you, brother. Not when I just found you!” But his arm was raised, ready to fight nonetheless.

“Just—let me explain,” said Jae-ha.

“There is nothing you can say,” Hakuryuu insisted. “I waited all my life for Hiryuu to come for me, only to hear that he had taken his throne without my aid. And so I set out, alone, only to find an imposter. You can't serve him. I won't accept it!”

_Oh, jeez._ “I don't,” said Jae-ha.

“…what?”

“The man you saw, the one who calls himself Hiryuu—I know he's an imposter,” Jae-ha agreed. “And you almost blew my cover charging in here like this!”

“Your…cover,” said Hakuryuu. “Then—?”

“I follow the true Hiryuu,” said Jae-ha. It felt strange to say it like that. He still hadn't seen Yona in ten years, after all. But it was clearly what Hakuryuu needed to hear. “I'll explain everything,” he continued. “But first I need to salvage the mess you made here. I'll take you somewhere safe, all right?”

“Yes,” said Hakuryuu, his anger completely gone. “Of course, brother.” Were there tears in his eyes? “We'll serve Hiryuu together!”

“Then come with me.” He lifted the white dragon into his arms, stepped outside, and leapt over the castle walls and towards the city below.


	9. Chapter 8

Hakuryuu Kija paced from one end of the small room to the other. This was where Ryokuryuu had told him to wait, but it had been nearly a full day, and there was no sign of his brother’s return. Hiryuu could not possibly be found in a place like this, could he? But, Kija reminded himself, he’d expected to find Hiryuu in a palace, and found only lies. He must expect the unexpected. Ryokuryuu must have brought him here for a reason.

When the traveling merchants from his village, whose job it was to gather information about the state of the world, informed Kija that King Hiryuu had ascended to his throne, he’d had set out alone, against the guidance of Granny and the elders. He wondered now if they already guessed that only a false king would await him. The journey had been a difficult one: days spent alone on the road, nights at small village inns lacking the familiar comforts of home. But this inn, here in the capital city, was by far the worst one yet. Ryokuryuu had carried him through the night sky, entered through the window, and then left with hardly a word of explanation. As excited as Kija had been to see his brother’s power in action, that was not at all how he’d imagined their meeting. And he said he’d be back soon, but he hadn’t returned by dawn, and now, the sun was nearly setting once again.

Maybe—maybe Ryokuryuu had meant he shouldn’t leave the inn, and not this tiny room? His brother wouldn't want him to starve, after all. The food offered in the dimly-lit common room below was barely edible, but it was something. As he ate, he glanced at the various other patrons of the inn. Rough men, uniformly, they all hid their faces in one way or another. Kija shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He must stand out like a sore thumb, and if that false Hiryuu wanted to find him, Kija’s only hope was that no one here would willingly approach any sort of authority figure to turn him in. The dark corner where he sat would help him a little, but perhaps he should have stayed upstairs after all. A cockroach skittered across the floor, and Kija shuddered as he pushed his bowl of food away.  _ Please, brother, come back soon. _

Just as he was about to rise, the door swung open and a new group entered. Two soldiers and their women, it seemed. He waited for them to pass and head up the narrow staircase before following. Except—wasn’t that Ryokuryuu’s room those four were about to enter? His brother had said another man might come, a slender young man with light brown hair. None of these four met that description. “Excuse me,” he said, hurrying to catch up. “That’s not your room.”

One of the men turned to face him. “It certainly isn’t yours,” he said. The oldest of the group, with dark hair and a scar on the left side of his face, he glared down at Kija. “Who are you?” he demanded. “What's your business here?”

“None of yours,” Kija retorted, pushing past. He didn't think Ryokuryuu had left anything incriminating inside the room, but it would not do at all for a group of strangers to see Ryokuryuu return by way of a third-story window. 

“Wait,” said a female voice. “Aren't you—?”

He turned. The woman's hood had fallen off as he pushed past. Her hair was a brilliant crimson.

**_Warriors of the four dragons!_ ** His blood boiled; he could feel his strength pouring into his dragon’s arm.  **_You are now our other halves. You will serve Hiryuu as your master, protecting him with your lives. You will love him, and never betray him._ ** His vision swam before his eyes and all he could think before the power in his blood overtook him was  _ it’s her _ .  _ This girl is the master I’ve been awaiting. _

 

When Kija came to, four pairs of eyes looked down at him, but only one of them mattered. “Hakuryuu?” She spoke hesitantly, as if still uncertain, but Kija had no doubts about their bond.

He sat up. “Yes, master?”

“Um…”

“'Master?’” the man who had tried to block Kija's way asked.

“I'm not…” the girl,  _ Hiryuu, _ began. “Um, did you...come here...for me?”

Without hesitation, Kija nodded. He explained how he'd heard the news of Hiryuu's ascension, how he'd sought him out and known in his heart that that man was not the true king. How Ryokuryuu had told him to wait here. “And then you arrived. The true king, the one I was searching for.”

“I’m not—” She looked down. “Are you calling me Hiryuu because of my hair? That’s just—I mean, we were going to seek you out and request your aid because the priest suggested it, but I'm not your master.”

No. She had to be. His blood had spoken clearly, had it not?  _ The one who claims to be Hiryuu is not, and the one who is, claims not to be. _ A bizarre twist of fate.

And she was going to seek him out. His king had not forgotten him. Whatever she thought of herself, whatever she believed, Kija's king had not forgotten him. “If you desire my aid, my lady, you will have it. Whoever you are.” Kija paused. “Then...what shall I call you?”

His king smiled at him. “I’m Yona.”

“Lady Yona,” he repeated.

“That’s  _ Princess _ Yona,” the scarred man corrected. 

His king—no, his princess—proceeded to introduce the rest of her party. The taller men were both former generals who had remained loyal to the previous king, and thus to Yona, and the younger boy had lived with the priest. 

“It was too risky for the green dragon to bring you here,” General Ju-doh grumbled. “You could bring attention here that Lord Soo-won really doesn't need.”

“Where is Soo-won?” Princess Yona asked. “You said he'd be here.”

“I said he'd be here  _ eventually,” _ Ju-doh corrected. “He  _ shouldn't _ be traveling outside the city alone, but knowing him…”

“Then it's more waiting,” said Yoon. “But we've already found one of the four dragons! Actually, that's pretty amazing. Ryokuryuu couldn't have known Yona would come here to meet you, after all.”

To Kija, there was nothing amazing about it. It was his destiny to serve at Yona's side, and he never should have doubted. “I will procure a room at a better inn for the princess,” he decided. “If we are to wait, it can't be in a run-down place like this.”

“You'll do nothing of the sort,” Yoon countered. “From what you told us earlier, you shouldn't show your face in public at all.”

“It's fine,” said Yona. “We've been on the road for so long, any roof at all over our heads will be a treat.”

He gaped at her. “You mean—until now, you’ve—outside—?”

She smiled. “It was difficult at first,” she admitted. “But I’ve gotten used to it.”

“Princess, I should have come to your side sooner. To think that you endured such hardship, when I was doing nothing…”

“You’re cute, Haku—” She broke off. “Hakuryuu, what’s your name?”

“...Kija.”

“Kija,” she repeated. “I’m the one who didn’t come to you. There’s no reason for you to blame yourself.” She reached out, taking his dragon hand with both her soft human hands. Kija could feel his blood racing, and had to struggle to keep himself from putting all his strength into his claws. “I’m glad you came, Kija,” she said. “I don’t know why, but somehow, it feels right that we should meet.”

 

Yona took the mattress that night, with Yoon by her side—which meant that Kija, Hak, and Ju-doh were to sleep on the floor. Kija didn’t think he possibly  _ could _ sleep on this creaky, rough wood, but as the other men voiced no protest, he remained silent. And he must have fallen asleep eventually, somehow, because when the clatter at the window as Ryokuryuu returned jolted him awake, the sky was already beginning to glow with the approaching dawn. 

“Hakuryuu, I hope—”

“Shh!” Kija stood up and stepped over to the window, indicating the other sleepers. “You didn’t tell me she would come!”

Ryokuryuu’s eyes widened as he looked down at Yona, her short crimson hair spread out around her sleeping face like a brilliant halo. “I didn’t know,” he replied. He continued to stare. “This is—it’s the first time I’ve seen her in ten years.”

_ Ten years? _ “If—” No, that couldn’t be right. “If you knew ten years ago that our king had come, you should have sought me out! You should have—” He looked back at the princess and her tiny company of allies, nearly all the friends she had left in the world, and thought of the hardships she’d been through. “You should have been by her side!”

“Now, now, Hakuryuu,” said Ryokuryuu. “I had a different life back then. I wasn't about to let that go simply because destiny demanded it.”

“And yet you do so now for a false king.”

Ryokuryuu sighed. “Believe me, I wish I didn’t. Speaking of which, I can’t stay long. I managed to spin up an explanation that Su-jin bought, but I can’t stay away for long. Soo-won isn’t here?”

“No,” Kija replied with a scowl. His brother seemed more eager to meet that man than his king. “If you could not be bothered to do your duty for ten years, you should have brought the news of her return to your brothers,” he pressed on. “I would have—I could have—” That was ten years of his master’s life he had missed, ten years of waiting made even more pointless by the fact that it was  _ unnecessary _ .

“If serving Hiryuu has been your only dream for ten years, then I pity you,” said Ryokuryuu. “And what was it you said about keeping quiet?”

Behind him, someone stirred, but it wasn’t the princess. Hak sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Jae-ha?”

“Hak! My, you’ve certainly grown.”

“Are you coming in or going out?”

Ryokuryuu looked down at the princess again from his perch in the window. “You don’t know how much I want to greet her,” he said softly. “But I suppose I must let her rest. So, out, I suppose. I’ll return when I can. I don’t think I need to tell you to keep a low profile.”

“Of course,” said Hak, and Ryokuryuu vanished once again.

 

* * *

 

“Jae-ha was here?”

“He didn’t stay long,” Hak explained. “I think he just wanted to make sure our new companion was still where he left him.”

“You should have woken me up!” Yona complained. Even if it was only for a moment, even if they barely got to talk, even if she already knew he was safe and out of danger. 

“He’ll be back,” Hak reassured her, and Yona knew he was right, but still. “I wanted to let you sleep.” 

Yona couldn’t deny that spending an uninterrupted night of sleep on a real mattress had been almost heavenly. But she would have given it up in an instant to see Jae-ha. “Thank you for being so considerate, Hak, but—”

“After all, you wouldn’t want to still have dark circles under your eyes when you see Soo-won again, would you?”

“Hak!” She threw a pillow at him, and for just an instant, it was like they were back in the palace again. Like they really were home. 

As Yoon—being the only one who wasn't a wanted fugitive—left to fetch them breakfast, Kija finally spoke up. “Princess,” he said. “Why are you so eager to see Ryokuryuu? Didn't he abandon you ten years ago?”

Yona hadn't told the white dragon anything of their previous acquaintance. What had Jae-ha told him, to make him think such a thing? “He saved my life,” she said. “And he came back after that, too. He didn't abandon me.” 

“But he didn't stay. Princess, the Four Dragons should protect you. That's why we've inherited this power.”

Yona remembered how much, as a child, she'd wished for Jae-ha to stay. How for months, no,  _ years _ , she'd always caught herself looking up at the sky, hoping he'd reappear in her life. Maybe Kija was right, and there really was some deeper connection between them, because Yona had missed him so,  _ so _ much. But she'd known, even at six years old, why he had to go. “Did Jaeha tell you what he was doing these past ten years?” 

“He didn't,” Kija admitted.

“He was protecting the people of this kingdom. I lived in a palace—I didn't need a dragon warrior to keep me safe. Even when the worst happened, I had Hak by my side. Jae-ha and Captain Gi-gan and their crew were helping people who had no one else.” Kija looked away. “And he came back all on his own, to do something I know he never wanted to do, the moment he knew I was in trouble, even when he must have wondered if I even remembered him at all. So don't say he abandoned me. I won't hear it.”

“I—I see.” Kija looked down. “It’s not that I wish to doubt a fellow dragon. But had I been there, back then—”

Yona thought she understood. “Kija, don’t worry. The two of us still have plenty of time to become friends.”

 

Yoon returned with breakfast from the common room below, and as they ate, they discussed their plans. “I want to see the city,” Yona said. “I want to see what it’s like under Su-jin. 

“It’s too dangerous—” Ju-doh began.

“The Fire Tribe believes I’m dead, don’t they? They’re not actively hunting for Hak and I the way they are for you. As long as I keep my hair covered, we should be fine.”

“You’re just as bad as he is,” Ju-doh muttered. “Hak, are you all right with this?”

Hak looked at Yona, then looked around the little room. Did he remember the last time that he and Yona were hiding in an anonymous inn in Kuuto? “We do need to get our bearings,” said Hak. “Come on, Princess. Let’s go.”

“Then, Princess, I too will accompany—”

“ _ No, _ ” Ju-doh and Hak spoke together. 

“You’re far too conspicuous, White Snake,” Hak added.

“I am not a snake!”

“Yoon, do you want to come?” Yona asked. “You wanted to see the capital, didn’t you?”

“Is it really all right to leave these two alone together?” Yoon asked, looking at Kija and Ju-doh.

Yona laughed. “I’m sure they’ll manage.”

 

The last time Yona had been in Kuuto was the eve of her father’s execution. The whole city had been on edge then, under threat of foreign invasion, uncertain of the future. Today it could have been the Kuuto she’d snuck out of the palace to visit so many times. Well, almost. She could still see Fire Tribe soldiers nearly everywhere she looked, and it was clear that the people of Kuuto were giving those soldiers plenty of room. Were the soldiers abusing the townspeople, or was it just a heightened sense of caution as people adjusted to the new reality of the city? Yona couldn't tell, but she vowed to stay alert. 

“If we’re getting a feel for the city, we should do something useful while we’re at it,” she said. “Yoon, do we need any more supplies?”

“Actually, it’s the opposite,” said Yoon. “We can’t hunt and forage for food here like we can on the road, so what we need is money. I have medicines to sell, if there’s a market.”

“There is,” said Hak. “But if the soldiers give you any trouble about unlicensed vending—”

“I’ll leave right away,” said Yoon. “Don’t worry.” 

In fact, the soldiers turned out to be some of Yoon’s best customers, crowding around his impromptu shop so densely that Yona and Hak had to keep their distance. Maybe frivolously, maybe nostalgically, Yona glanced down at cloth where a seller had spread out an assortment of jewelry. Then she stopped in her tracks. “Hak. That’s—” There, before her, was the hairpin Soo-won had given her, a lifetime ago. It had remained behind, abandoned in their hideout when they fled the city. Had someone found it and sold it?

Hak took her hand. “We can’t afford to buy it back right now, Princess.” Was there a note of regret in his voice?

“I know,” said Yona. “I don’t need it.”

Hak squeezed her hand again. “Let’s go back.”

Yona nodded, but as he pulled away, she lingered by the stall. It was just a pretty bauble, a distraction. It had nothing to do with what she wanted from Soo-won now. Her hair was too short to even wear it. So why did it feel so hard to walk away?

Finally, she pulled her eyes away from the jewel nestled among the pot-metal-and-glass trinkets. Now, which way had Hak gone? She’d better catch up, or he’d make her stay in that tiny room the rest of the time they were in Kuuto. “Oh!” As she rounded the corner of market stalls, she collided with someone coming the other direction. “I’m sorry!” she exclaimed, though she was the one who lost her balance and stumbled forward. Her hands flew up to check that the scarf covering her hair was still in place. Then she looked up. “Soo...won?”

His face was hooded, and he wore commoners’ clothing, but there was no doubt it was him. “Yona.” Soo-won reached out a hand to help her up, and the familiar touch of his gentle fingers after their months apart nearly shocked her. “You’re—”

She was supposed to be dead, wasn’t she? Yona knew that, and yet she’d never thought that Soo-won might have believed it. “I’m alive,” she said. “Hak saved me, Hak and Yoon—” Oh, but Soo-won didn’t know Yoon, wouldn’t know—there was so much she had to tell him!

“I knew,” said Soo-won. “Jae-ha said he’d know if you had died. But I never thought to see you  _ here! _ Yona, it’s dangerous for you in the capital!”

“No more than for you! But Soo-won! You’re here, we can finally work together now! Come on! Everyone is waiting!

 

They returned quickly to the inn. Soo-won wasn’t surprised to see Ju-doh. He wasn’t even surprised to see Kija, to Yona’s confusion. “You have a plan, already,” said Hak. “Don’t you?”

“We went to see General Geun-tae,” Yona added. “He’ll support us when the time is right. So will the Wind Tribe.”

“You—you did?” Soo-won blinked. “Yona, you’ve been busy!”

Yona nodded. “Su-jin can’t remain Kouka’s king. So, Soo-won—what is your plan?”

“There’s no need for a complicated plan,” said Kija. “The Four Dragons fighting by the side of our king could easily strike the usurper down!”

“I’m eager to see your strength,” Soo-won assured Kija. “But it's not time for that just yet.”

“That's another thing,” Yona mused. “Kija calls me his king, but I'm not—I mean,  _ I  _ can't—” She'd heard people in the villages and towns they'd passed through, wondering if Su-jin would be a better king for them than Il had been. She'd seen how the people here in Kuuto adapted so readily to a new king. And she'd realized it wouldn't be enough to pull the usurper down, not unless she was prepared to take on that role herself. Yona knew she wasn't ready for that. 

But that wasn't what Soo-won took from her words. “Right,” he said. “I suppose we ought to get married.”

Yona froze.  _ The man I marry will be Kouka’s next king.  _ Of course. Of course Soo-won would— “Out,” she heard herself say.

“Princess?”

“Please,” she said. “I want to talk to Soo-won alone.”

But when they were alone, the words wouldn't come. Finally, Yona spoke. “Geun-tae said that you knew Su-jin’s attack would come.”

“...Yona?”

“I don’t think you know how much your proposal would have meant to me, even one year ago. But...there’s a part of you that you kept from me. A Soo-won who rushed on ahead when all I wanted was to follow you. All you let me see was the Soo-won who—”  _ The Soo-won who gave me that hairpin. _

Soo-won sighed. “Your father made it impossible to—”

“Stop.” She looked away. “I know. It’s just...the Soo-won I knew isn’t the one asking me to marry him.” It was almost painfully obvious that his proposal, delivered so casually, was born purely of political necessity. “So ask me again. Ask me after I know the man I’m going to marry.” Soo-won paused, then nodded. 

If they wanted to oust Su-jin together, Yona  _ would _ marry Soo-won.  That was how it worked. And it was  _ this  _ Soo-won, the one who would protect her country's future, whose queen she had always wanted to be. But in their time apart, she'd realized that he was a stranger to her. Did the Soo-won who gave her that hairpin even exist at all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update! Thank you for your patience. I'm going to continue alternating between this story and other fic projects, but I hope to be able to post roughly a chapter a month. Thank you to everyone who is still reading!


	10. Chapter 9

“Morning, Lord Ryokuryuu!”

Jae-ha flashed a bright smile at the soldier who greeted him, then hurried away. Though he could have taken his meals in the palace in private, or with lords and ladies of the court, he had always chosen to dine in the soldiers’ mess or at inns in the city. Now he wished he hadn’t. Somewhere along the line he’d inadvertently convinced these guys he was was their comrade. Worse, he might've convinced himself. The day when his true colors would be revealed was soon approaching, and men like this soldier, who he'd laughed and drank with, would become his enemies. To them, he'd be a traitor—a monster after all.

All the rank-and-file soldiers of the Fire Tribe were conscripts. Could they be convinced to turn away from Su-jin and follow the true Hiryuu instead? No, and Jae-ha knew better than to waste time thinking about it. It was for the best this masquerade was about to come to an end.

Still, his habit of dining in town proved useful when he needed to visit Kuuto during the day for other reasons. Jae-ha stopped at one of Kuuto's most popular restaurants for his midday meal, throwing money—Su-jin’s, of course—around and making sure everyone would remember he was there. Then he jumped away, landing on the windowsill of that other inn. Soo-won's hideout. Where not only Hakuryuu, but Yona herself, would be waiting. Taking a deep breath, he pulled open the shutter.

“Jae-ha!”

He barely registered more than a bright red blur before he was thrown backwards and off balance, almost falling backwards out the window. In his attempt to steady himself he fell forward instead, and found himself leaning against the red-haired girl—no, young woman, now—to keep his balance. His eyes locked with hers.  _ Ah, there’s that dragon’s blood, again _ . It pounded with joy to be back by his master’s side after ten years, almost drowning out Jae-ha’s own feelings. But he’d missed her too.

“Ryokuryuu! How dare you manhandle the princess!”

“She was the one who hugged me!” Jae-ha protested. 

“Jae-ha, I’m so glad you’re safe!” Yona was nearly in tears. “I was so worried—”

“Yona dear, isn’t that supposed to be my line?”

“You were—” She stepped back. “We heard that you were Su-jin’s dragon warrior before we found out what was really going on. I thought—I knew from back then how you never wanted to serve Hiryuu, and I thought you’d been forced—”

_ She still doesn’t know, _ Jae-ha realized. He shot a glance at Soo-won, who looked away. Back when Yona had lived in a palace and had no need of dragons, back when Jae-ha had sworn he’d never have anything to do with the legend, he’d chosen not to tell her. Growing up knowing she was Hiryuu’s reincarnation wouldn’t have done her any good. If circumstances allowed it, better to go through her whole life not knowing, not tied to some old story that had nothing to do with who she really was. But now, when she was actively working to take back the throne…well, Jae-ha wasn’t going to be the one to tell her. He wasn’t looking for a master. For Yona to see him the way that Su-jin did—Jae-ha hadn’t known what to expect, seeing Yona again after so long, but if she’d been anything like that, he’d have been gone.

“I can tell you straight out, Su-jun has nothing to do with Hiryuu.”

Yona nodded, smiling. “I know, I heard that from Kija. It’s very brave, spying like you’ve been doing.”

“Yes, well, that may be over soon.” Jae-ha glanced at the small room’s occupants. It was so crowded, he hadn't noticed at first that someone was missing. “Where's Hak?” he asked. “I have news, but I'd rather only tell it once.” 

“He's keeping watch downstairs,” said Yona. “I'll go fetch—”

Soo-won put a hand on Yona's shoulder and stood up. “Stay here,” he said. “It's safer if I go.” 

A moment later, Soo-won returned with Hak close behind him. Now that it was day, Jae-ha could get a better look at how the dark-haired young man had grown. He was as tall as Jae-ha himself, and the look in his eyes that had made people take him seriously even at nine years old now sent a shiver through Jae-ha. He wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of that determined glare. 

“Have you two set a date yet?” Hak asked as he stepped into the room.

“Hak!” Yona protested. “I told you, I never said I would marry Soo-won!”

“Then what's the reason you invited everyone back in but me? I can tell when I'm in the way.”

Yona gave an exasperated sigh. “It made the most sense for you to guard. That's all!”

“Ah...did I come at a bad time?” Jae-ha asked.

“No,” said the one person in the group Jae-ha didn't know, a pretty boy who wore feathers in his copper-colored hair. “In fact, now that you're here, maybe they'll finally give this subject a rest.”

“I  _ have _ given it a rest,” Yona insisted. “As has Soo-won. Hak is the one who—” She broke off, apparently realizing the contradiction in her statement.

“Jae-ha, you said you had news,” said Soo-won. 

“Right…” Jae-ha looked from Soo-won to Yona and back again. Marriage? It made perfect sense, given the situation, but the idea startled him. He supposed he was too used to thinking of Yona as the little girl he’d known back then, rather than the woman she was today. 

“Ryokuryuu, if it’s my fault,” Hakuryuu began. “If I have caused the princess harm, then I apologize. She explained to me how you’ve done far more to help her cause than I had thought possible. If I ruined your cover—”

Jae-ha sighed. “You did and you didn’t,” he said. “Su-jin still believes I serve him. I told him—” The explanation he’d given Su-jin touched on matters he hadn’t even told Soo-won. “I told him you were not Hakuryuu, but the previous Hakuryuu. That a new dragon had been born on the day of Su-jin’s ascension and you, desperate to serve your king, had sought him out, but sadly, having lost your divine mandate, could not even recognize your king. Tragic, really.”

“You should not have—” Hakuryuu looked away, and Jae-ha wondered if he’d hit a nerve. Well, bringing up predecessors was bound to.

“I had to think quick, after the way you rushed in there.”

“...yes. Of course. If that story allows us both to continue serving the princess—”

“And that’s it. Su-jin isn’t worried about  _ you _ anymore, but your appearance reminded him that there are still two more dragons out there. He’s asked me to seek them out for him.”

“Oh!” Yona exclaimed. “We were already—that is, Ik-soo, the priest, told me we should find them.” Briefly, Jae-ha wondered how a priest managed to tell Yona that much  _ without _ telling her who she was. 

“So, we’ll seek out Seiryuu and Ouryuu, and hope they’re willing to play your game?” asked the boy. 

“If they're not, I doubt you can make excuses for three dragons,” said Hak.

“That's not even the biggest problem,” said Jae-ha. “The problem is that Su-jin doesn’t want me to go alone.” If it was just a guard, or soldiers, who were meant to be his companions, that would be one thing. “He’s asked me to take his second son, Tae-jun.”

Silence met that revelation. “He...wants you to take Tae-jun...on a quest to find the dragons?” Yona asked, finally. Meanwhile, Hak broke out laughing. “ _ Why? _ ”

“Apparently his son has been depressed. Su-jin thinks this will cheer him up. Or something.” Jae-ha had tried to talk Su-jin out of the idea, arguing that he'd be much faster alone, but Su-jin wouldn't let go. And from what Jae-ha had seen, it certainly was true that Tae-jun needed  _ some _ sort of help.

“And Tae-jun cannot be allowed to see that Yona is alive,” said Soo-won.

“I... I suppose it would be all right if I didn't approach Seiryuu and Ouryuu myself,” said Yona, a crestfallen look on her face. Privately, Jae-ha thought it might be better that way. Without Yona there, those two would be able to make their own decisions, without any interference from the bothersome dragon blood. But he thought back to his brief meeting with Seiryuu. Without Yona, he realized he already knew what that dragon’s answer would be.

“Princess Yona must be the one to go to the dragons,” Kija insisted.

“So I take the princess to find those two and you lead Kan Tae-jun on a wild goose chase,” suggested Hak. “But—no, that won't work, either, not if you want them to join you in your spying.”

“Yona has to go to the dragons, and Tae-jun has to see them found,” Yoon mused. “We'll take two parties. Both can travel in the same direction, keeping a safe distance between us. When we get close, Yona can approach the dragons and explain the situation, but they can travel back with Jae-ha's group.”

“It's risky,” said Soo-won, “but I think it's the best approach.”

Jae-ha looked at Soo-won. “If this goes wrong, the game is over,” he said. “No more spying on Su-jin.”

“I haven't been inactive in this time, either,” said Soo-won. “If it comes down to that...Earth and Wind will fight for us. I've just returned from Ryusei, in the Water Tribe. We can't count on them as allies, not yet, but they won't support Su-jin either. And there is a growing number of young men here in the Sky Tribe who would jump to rebel against the Fire Tribe at the slightest rumor of Princess Yona's survival. I suppose Ju-doh and I will have to stay behind and train them,” he added. “It's a pity; I would have liked to see where the dragons live in hiding.”

Jae-ha shuddered. No, that was decidedly  _ not _ something Soo-won needed to see. “Then…” Yona looked around at everyone in the room. “Soo-won, you should come and Hak can stay behind.”

“Not going to happen.”

“It makes sense,” Yona insisted. “If it’s training soldiers, you’re the best one here for that, you and Ju-doh. And if Soo-won really thinks that my survival would inspire his recruits—I can’t be here myself, but you were with me. You can give a direct account of how...how I survived.”

“Princess. That I stay by your side was your father's final wish.”

For a moment, it seemed that Yona might back down. “And you did,” she said. “You kept me safe, and you helped me grow strong enough that I can think about what’s best for people besides just me. If we’re building an army, it needs to be as strong as possible. Besides, Kija is here now. He can protect me.”

“That white snake is afraid of cockroaches, Princess, and he’s never spent a day in the wilderness in his life.”

“Hakuryuu can fight, though,” Jae-ha felt compelled to add. “He took out dozens of Su-jin’s guards, alone.”

“...and Soo-won will be with you,” Hak said, finally. “I suppose you two—”

“Right,” said Yona. “We need to get used to working together, if one day—”

“Well then. I won't get in the way.”

“Hak, that's not…” Yona trailed off. “Then it's settled,” she said. “Yoon, Kija, Soo-won, and I will travel in search of Seiryuu and Ouryuu. Jae-ha will do the same, pretending to do so on behalf of Su-jin. Ju-doh and Hak will remain here, rebuilding the Sky Tribe's army in secret.” She turned to Jae-ha. “When do we set out?”

“Tomorrow.”

* * *

Kan Tae-jun, second son of Kan Su-jin and second prince of Kouka Kingdom, opened his eyes and wished he hadn't. It meant he was awake. “Everything's prepared, Highness,” he heard his aide-de-camp say. “All that's left is for you to make yourself presentable.” Heuk-chi paused. “I'll inform Lord Ryokuryuu it will still be some time.”

Where were they going, again? Father had ordered him to seek out the other dragons of legend, and not to return home until they were found. As if it were possible for him to redeem himself. Tae-jun was not worthy of such a task, he knew that now. He was not worthy of anything, not after letting  _ her _ die. That red fire still flashed before his mind's eye, Princess Yona setting his heart ablaze only to fall away, lost forever. After that, even learning that his favorite stories from childhood were true, that the four dragons who served King Hiryuu were real, didn’t matter. Nothing mattered.

“Is there a reason he’s like this?” Ryokuryuu asked, at some point during their first day of travel. Tae-jun hadn’t bothered to pay attention to how far they'd come. Away from the red castle, Yona's castle, where he had no right to be.

“She's gone…” 

“If you wish, I am sure his Highness will tell you. Many times.”

“Oh, unlucky in love?” asked the green dragon.

“Nothing so crude as that!” Tae-jun protested. “She was a divine being and I, in my sinful pride, sent her back to heaven.”

“Really unlucky in love, then,” said Ryokuryuu. “Unless that was a murder confession, in which case you've just made my job a lot easier and I'll take you back to the capital right now.”

“Yes! Is divine justice within your power, Ryokuryuu? Punish me for my sins!” The green dragon turned and gave Heuk-chi a skeptical glance. “For Princess Yona…”

“Uh…” Ryokuryuu turned back. “You’re in such a state...because of the death of Princess Yona?” The dragon was laughing at him, clearly. No need to hide it, Tae-jun knew he was a pitiful being, deserving of scorn. “Excuse me, I, uh, have to go scout out the area ahead,” Ryokuryuu said, and flew away. He did that a lot.

The journey passed like a haze before Tae-jun. They had horses, but kept a slow pace. That might have been Tae-jun’s doing, but it didn’t matter. They were going to venture forth and return, and nothing would change.

“Can we just leave him here?”

They had paused for their midday meal on the second day, and Tae-jun had finally realized there was no point at all. “Technically, Lord Ryokuryuu, I believe you could leave us both behind whenever you wish,” said Heuk-chi, beginning to pack his things back into his saddlebags.

“I’m tempted. I’m really tempted.”  _ He should just fly away. He belongs in the heavens and I, I belong under the earth.  _ But the earth was not opening up for Tae-jun, so instead, he just sat where he was, the dry grass that served as a poor cushion offering still far more comfort than he deserved. Both other men began riding away from camp. “Shouldn’t you stay with his Highness?” Ryokuryuu asked Heuk-chi.

“If I did that, he’d never leave this place.”

Never leaving. Yes, that sounded like a good idea.

It sounded like far less of a good idea when the sky began to darken and the air grew cold. His resolve was too weak even to die alone. If he caught up to them, would Lord Ryokuryuu finally see what a pathetic soul he really was? Oh...they’d even taken his horse. Tae-jun began to walk. The road curved, but they were heading north. If he cut across the steppe, surely he could catch them. 

After nearly an hour, he caught sight of a campfire up ahead. Had they planned to camp in the wild? Tae-jun couldn’t remember. The campsite was nestled in the shelter of a copse of trees, so it wasn’t until he got close that he saw the figures there were not Heuk-chi and Ryokuryuu. But they didn’t look like bandits, either; both of the young men looked far too gentle for that. One stood up, a boy with feathers in his hair. “You there, are you a traveler?” he asked. “Do you need shelter for the night?” Tae-jun, who had not bothered to conceal himself at all, stepped a little closer. 

The other man’s eyes widened. “You’re—you should return to your party,” he said. “It’s dangerous out here for a young lord like yourself. Yoon—”

“Right.” The boy hurried away.  _ Bandits after all? _ What were these two trying to hide? It was probably his duty to discover it, but he just nodded and began to turn away.

“Oh, Yoon, we brought back dinner!”

_ That voice. _ It sounded like—no.  _ Impossible. _ He turned back. The hooded figure stepping into the light of the campfire, that couldn’t be—but it was. Princess Yona. Alive. And the man by her side, white-haired, carrying an entire deer in one enormous, clawed hand, wasn’t that the false dragon that had attacked Father? What horrible circumstances had the princess found herself in?

“Yoon, what—?” 

Tae-jun simply gaped, unable to speak. The boy blocked the princess’ path, trying to keep her from coming to him, but Tae-jun had seen enough. Red hair, almost hidden under her hood, was plainly visible to him, the brightest color he’d seen in months. “Princess Yona…” he breathed.

She narrowed her eyes. “Kan Tae-jun.” Her companion dropped the deer and those claws, they were already wet with blood.

“Princess, you—here in the wilderness—what—?”

_ I was alone and helpless, and at the mercy of evil men. But you've come for me at last, Tae-jun… _ was what she did not say. Instead, her voice remained firm and calm. “ I am seeking out the Four Dragons, to take back what you stole from me.”

What  _ he _ stole? No, no, no, she had it wrong! Tae-jun would have given her— “You can’t,” he said. “The dragons serve King Hiryuu.” He paused. Those claws, gleaming in the moonlight, did not seem like they belonged to a false dragon. They looked frighteningly real. “If Lord Ryokuryuu sees you—”

“That’s right,” said the young man still sitting by the campfire. Who was he? Tae-jun could swear he looked familiar. “If Su-jin learns that Yona is alive, he’ll kill her. So, Prince Tae-jun, what will you do?”

“I’ll—” Father wouldn't do that, not if Yona came with Tae-jun willingly. But he could tell by the fire reflected in her eyes that she wouldn't, not tonight. “I’ll protect you,” he insisted. “I’ll protect you wherever you are.” Yona gave him a sad little half-smile. She doubted him, and she had every right to do so. 

“I’m looking forward to it,” said the unknown young man. And why did Tae-jun suddenly feel like he couldn't let this person down, either? Tae-jun nodded and stepped back, then paused. “The best thing you can do for Princess Yona right now is keep her hidden,” the man continued. Tae-jun nodded. He had realized that, it was just— “The road is that way,” the man helpfully added.

“Ah, thank you…” Tae-jun turned and hurried away.

He found his own party’s campsite in what seemed like no time at all, but couldn't sleep. Princess Yona. Alive. It wasn't a dream. Was she being used by that false white dragon? Was he feeding her lies? How could Tae-jun protect her, how could he save her?

When Tae-jun woke the next morning, Heuk-chi and Ryokuryuu were already awake. They were... chatting? When had they become friends? What did they possibly have in common to bond over? “Where's breakfast?” Tae-jun demanded. “We must find the dragon warriors as quickly as possible!” Before those other men got to them first, and drew Yona even further into their evil net.

Heuk-chi handed him a bowl of porridge. “You’re suddenly motivated,” commented Ryokuryuu as Tae-jun shoved spoonfuls into his mouth. “I’ll go scout ahead.” The dragon leapt away, to the—northwest? But that was where Yona was! If Ryokuryuu found her—Father didn’t  _ really _ want the princess dead, of course he didn’t, but his loyal dragon warrior? Yona was in trouble already, but if he found her first—

He mounted his horse. If it came down to it, Tae-jun couldn’t defeat a dragon by himself. He knew that. “Heuk-chi,” he said. “Follow me.”

They raced across the steppe to the northeast. “Highness, as wonderful as it is to see you active again, what are you doing?”

If Heuk-chi had to see, so be it. He would keep Tae-jun’s secret, keep Yona safe. But until then— “I’m suspicious of Lord Ryokuryuu,” he said.

“Suspicious.”

“The way he keeps flying all the time!”

“Highness, he’s the green dragon. He’s expected to fly.”

“Yes, but—” There, up ahead, that copse of trees was where Yona had been camping, right? He dismounted and crept forward. It wasn’t long before he began to hear voices. Calm voices, thank heavens. The princess was safe; Ryokuryuu had missed them. He was about to turn back before Heuk-chi realized just who it was up ahead, but paused. Hearing her plans, hearing where she would be—

“...safe to keep going,” he heard. “He knows Yona is alive, but no more.”

“I don’t know. It’s really risky…”

“We have to keep going.” That was Yona’s voice. “We have to find Seiryuu and Ouryuu.” He could see them now, figures shadowed by the trees, but—wait. Why were there five people now?

A sigh, and a new voice. “We’ll continue as planned.” Tae-jun glanced at Heuk-chi. Glanced back. Wasn’t that—? “Running interference between you and him is going to be  _ exhausting,  _ but I’ll manage.” Then he stepped forward, fully into view, and there was no doubt about it. Lord Ryokuryuu, his father’s—Hiryuu’s—most loyal servant, was cheerfully conversing, no,  _ conspiring _ with Princess Yona. 

“Be safe, Jae-ha!” Then Yona stepped forward and  _ hugged _ Ryokuryuu, and Tae-jun found himself frozen in place.  _ What is happening? _

“Highness—” Heuk-chi was trying to pull him away, but Tae-jun didn’t move.

“Jae-ha…” Yona stepped back—then turned to look straight at Tae-jun.

“...ah,” said Ryokuryuu, following her gaze. “It would seem we have a problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tae-jun is back! Thank you for your patience, everyone, and I hope you enjoy this development. We'll see more from Yona's point of view next time!


	11. Chapter 10

_ This is my fault. _ Yona could have decided their plan was too dangerous. She could have stayed behind. Now, Tae-jun had seen her together with Jae-ha, and the green dragon’s cover was ruined. How could she make this right? “Tae-jun,” Yona said, hopefully sounding far more calm than she felt. “You promised you would protect me. Did you mean that?”

“I—yes—I mean, yes, but—Ryokuryuu?”

“Jae-ha has been my protector since I was six years old.”

She could see Tae-jun putting the pieces together. “Traitor,” he said, looking at Jae-ha. “You’re a traitor.”

“Technically, I believe the term would be ‘spy,’” volunteered Heuk-chi. 

“But you’re a dragon warrior!” sputtered Tae-jun. “That can’t be a trick! I saw you fly!”

“Yes,” said Soo-won. “And the four dragons follow King Hiryuu. There’s a conclusion I’m sure even you, Highness, can reach.”

Tae-jun fell silent. “Sorry,” said Jae-ha with a shrug. “Your father might carry King Hiryuu’s blood, but he doesn’t have the soul.”

“Right,” Kija added. “Besides, surely even you knew that King Hiryuu has red hair.”

Yona faltered as all eyes fell on her. “I’m not—” she began, but—Kija truly believed, somehow, that she was his Hiryuu, and Jae-ha—Jae-ha had never denied it. Of course it wasn’t true, but saying that now wouldn’t exactly strengthen her position against Tae-jun. “For their own reasons, two of the four dragons have chosen to follow me,” she said. “I already told you that I planned to ask the aid of all four dragons to help me reclaim my kingdom. Do you doubt me now?” She must have managed to sound at least a little bit impressive, because the look on Tae-jun’s face was not the pitying expression of the night before. She thought even Soo-won might look a little bit impressed.

“Princess,” said Kija. “What shall we do with these two?”

“...do with us?” Tae-jun squeaked.

“The wisest choice might be to eliminate them now,” Soo-won mused. Yona knew he wasn’t seriously considering it—or was he? In all their discussions of what would happen if their plan fell through, no one had suggested going so far as to kill the prince. But, Yona realized, Tae-jun didn’t know that. As Tae-jun’s aide stepped protectively in front of him, Yona spoke up again.

“There’s no need to go that far,” she said. “Tae-jun wants me alive, after all.”

“And Su-jin will want you dead if he finds out that you’re alive,” said Jae-ha. Tae-jun looked like he was about to interrupt, but Jae-ha kept going. “I’ve been by his side for nearly a month now. Don’t try to tell me that’s not true.”

“I won’t tell him the princess is alive! I swear!”

“But will you tell him his dragon warrior serves another master?” Soo-won asked. Tae-jun didn’t answer. “You see, we can’t allow you to return home.”

“I suppose we can bring them along as hostages,” Yoon said. “That is, if you still want to keep going, Yona?”

“Of course,” said Yona. She remembered how Tae-jun had nearly killed her and Hak that time. But things were different now. Tae-jun swore he didn't want her to die, and somehow, Yona believed him. That didn't mean he felt the same about her companions—but he didn’t pose the same threat now that he had back then. Tae-jun only had one soldier to back him up. Yona had Soo-won, Yoon, and two dragons. For now, keeping him close was the safest option.

“H-hostages?” Tae-jun asked. “You—you can't—” 

His aide picked up where he left off. “What I believe His Highness may be trying to say is, we will be happy to cooperate. After all, finding the dragon warriors is still our goal as well.”

“Ah, right! Right!” said Tae-jun. “And when I convince Seiryuu and Ouryuu that I, Kan Tae-jun, am the one they should follow, then you’ll…” He trailed off and hung his head. Yona wondered if he was aware of how ridiculous he sounded. 

“Now, Highness, let’s cooperate and hand our weapons over to Princess Yona’s men.”

* * *

Yona had grown accustomed to Kija’s discomfort with their rough travel—it was so clear that Kija was trying, but he was no better prepared for this life than Yona had been when she first fled the palace. Tae-jun, however, complained nonstop. “How is it that these villages have no inns or restaurants?” he asked.

“This is your tribe; you tell me,” Yoon retorted.

“It’s unacceptable! First they refuse to pay their taxes, and now this!”

“How can you expect the land to prosper when your father took all the men away for his army?” Yoon asked.

“That’s what allowed him to become king. So the people of the Fire Tribe should be grateful.”

“I share some of the blame, Yoon,” said Yona. “When my father was king, I too stood by and allowed this to happen.”

At that, Tae-jun stopped talking—though he broke his silence for one last retort. “Anyway, I’m your hostage. You have to treat me well.”

“We’re in the same boat as you, stupid prince!”

Two more days passed before they reached the place where Jae-ha said Seiryuu’s village was to be found. “Finally, we’ll be able to spend a night with good food and a proper bed,” Kija said as they approached the mountains. Yona was surprised at his comment—in the wake of Tae-jun’s complaining, it seemed that Kija had taken extra care to hide his discomfort.

Jae-ha shot Kija a puzzled glance. “What makes you think we’ll find those here?” 

“It's the village of one of the four dragons,” Kija replied. “Seiryuu will be anxiously awaiting our king. Princess, had you found me in my village, we would have offered you the utmost hospitality.”

“I’m sure you would have,” said Yona with a smile. But as their path grew steeper and they drew closer to the rocky mountains, they saw no sign of any welcoming village.

“You’re leading us into the mountains to abandon us, aren’t you?” Tae-jun asked. 

“As tempting as that would be, no,” said Jae-ha. “Seiryuu is very close.”

“You can really sense the other dragons like that?” Yona asked. “That’s amazing!”

“Yes!” said Kija. “I have always reached out to my brothers, but now, finally to meet them—”

“Yes, yes, we get it,” said Jae-ha. “And it’s true. Even if I hadn’t met Seiryuu before, we’d have been able to sense his presence and make our way here.”

“Here” was a great cavernous hole in the mountain. It didn’t look like the sort of place that anyone could live, but Yona reminded herself that she hadn't thought anyone could live in Ik-soo’s valley, either. As they stepped through the entrance under the mountain, a shock of cold air hit her face, and Jae-ha gave a visible shudder. “Are you alright?” Yona asked.

“Of course,” said Jae-ha. Too lightly, Yona thought, watching Jae-ha glance upward at the heavy rock above them. He couldn't fly away in here. But he kept moving forward. 

“You there.”

Yona froze. She hadn’t even noticed the branching offshoot in the cave until an old man stepped out and into their path. “Ah, hello,” she began.

“Why have you come here?”

Kija stepped forward. “We have come for Seiryuu,” he said. “Hiryuu is here for him.”

The man’s expression remained unreadable. “There is no Seiryuu here,” he said.

“Ah,” said Jae-ha. “It’s only natural you’d hide him from outsiders. But I’ve met him before. We’re friends.”

“You’re mistaken,” said the man, shaking his head. “Seiryuu has no—” He broke off. “That is, there’s no one here by that name.”

“Well then, sorry to bother you and we’ll be on our way!” said Soo-won with a cheerful smile. “Only, it’s a long way back to the nearest road, and it’s getting dark. I don’t suppose we could take shelter here for the night?”

The man glanced at all the members of their group in turn. Yoon drew his cloak tighter around himself, and Yona followed suit. Just cold, tired travelers, that was all. “You may stay,” said the man, finally. “But only here, near the entrance. We’re recovering from a cave-in and have nothing more to offer.”

At that, Tae-jun finally spoke up. “A—a cave-in? And you keep living here? That's insane!”

“If you stay near the entrance, there is nothing to fear,” the man repeated. “But I must warn you not to venture further in. This place is like a maze. You could easily lose yourselves.”

“Of course!” Yona assured him with a smile. “We’ll camp here till morning, and then we'll leave you be.”

As soon as the man vanished from sight, Tae-jun spoke up again. “They’re trying to avoid paying taxes, aren’t they, living in a place like this? How shameless!”

“Highness, that’s the least of our concerns,” said Heuk-chi.

“Seiryuu  _ is _ here,” Kija insisted, and Jae-ha nodded.

“Don't worry,” sad Soo-won. “His attempt at deception was hardly subtle. We'll find Seiryuu.” 

“I don’t like the way that man said he had no friends,” Jae-ha said. “That’s what he was about to say, I’m sure of it. Seiryuu was free when I met him, and I thought—”

“Free as opposed to…?” Kija asked.

“I...I might have made a very big mistake,” said Jae-ha. “Yona, we need to find him. These people, this place—” His breathing came faster and Yona, alarmed, reached out a hand to take his. 

“We’ll find him,” she said, and paused. “It’s because we’re underground, isn’t it?” Long ago, Jae-ha had told her that Ryokuryuu’s village never let the green dragon leave.

“I’m fine,” Jae-ha insisted. “We’re near the entrance. No one’s chained—” Behind Jae-ha, Yona saw Soo-won’s eyes widen. “It’s Seiryuu we’re here to find right now.”

_ Chained _ . Jae-ha hadn’t told Yona  _ that _ when she was six years old. But of course he wouldn’t have. Yona wanted nothing more than to reach her arms around him again, to take him back out under the clear sky where he could fly away as high as he needed to, but he was right—they were here for someone else. Someone Yona was growing more and more certain they couldn’t leave in a place like this.

“Right,” she said. “We'll seek him out as soon as we can do so without being seen. Will you be able to find him, if the caves are like a maze?” 

“Of course,” said Kija, but Jae-ha frowned. 

“I can tell which direction he's in, but that won't show me our way through a maze.” 

“It's enough,” said Soo-won. “All mazes can be solved.”

“I’ll be able to remember all the paths we take,” added Yoon. 

“Good,” said Yona. “We’ll set out—” Then she paused, looking around the group. “...where’s Tae-jun?” She’d been so focused on Jae-ha that she hadn’t noticed him disappear, but their hostage was nowhere to be seen.

“He...ran away?” Yoon asked.

All eyes fell upon Heuk-chi. “You're supposed to be our prisoners, you know,” said Jae-ha.

Yona frowned. She hadn't expected this—she’d honestly believed he would stay with them willingly, for now at least. “You must have been watching him,” Yona said to Heuk-chi. “You saw where he went?”

“You may have noticed that his highness is not a brave person,” said Heuk-chi. “All the talk of cave-ins—” He glanced back towards the entrance. 

“If we leave to bring him back, these men may not let us back in,” said Soo-won. “But to go off on his own—”

“I’m sure he’ll return the moment he gets cold or hungry,” said Heuk-chi. “Princess,” he said, “I swear on both my life and his that he has not gone to turn you in.”

“Your lives are worth nothing compared to Princess Yona’s—”

“Shh, Kija, that’s not true” Yona comforted the white dragon. “I’ll trust you,” she said to Heuk-chi. “But if my friends get hurt because of this—”

Heuk-chi nodded, and it was clear he understood.

* * *

They made their way deeper into the caves as a group, but the further in they went, the more frustrated Kija and Jae-ha became. Seiryuu should be here—why did he remain hidden? “I’d understand if he didn’t want to meet the other dragons,” said Jae-ha. “But we met before. He was quiet, but it didn’t seem like he disliked me…”

“I’m sure you haven’t been rejected,” said Soo-won. “But I wonder what happens when we find him. We’re being watched, you know.”

As soon as he said it, Yona knew he was right. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?” Yoon asked. “These cave-dwellers sure are creepy…”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” said Soo-won with a shrug. “We’d have come this far either way. Oh, but...that’s odd.”

“What?” Yona asked. They’d come to a dead end, but it was only the latest in a series of several, and hardly a surprise by now.

“I was sure this branch had to lead somewhere. I must have misjudged.” He turned back, but just as Yona was about to follow the group back up the tunnel, she paused. She thought she heard a voice. Wasn’t that—?

“Heuk-chi, are you sure that Tae-jun _left_ the cave?” Yona asked? But Heuk-chi and the others were too far ahead to hear. “Um—” She turned back to the stone wall, listening again to make sure she wasn’t just hearing things before she tried to catch the others’ attention again. Then her hand caught on a loose rock, and the heavy stone wall at the end of the passageway shuddered open, revealing a stairwell descending into shadows. _Soo-won thought this passage would continue, and it does!_ Yona stepped forward, calling down into the darkness. “Tae-jun?” No answer. She’d been so certain she’d heard his voice! But even so, Seiryuu could still be here. “Soo-won,” she called out, turning around—just in time to see the door swing shut, locking her in darkness. “Soo-won! Jae-ha!”

Then that voice echoed up from the darkness again. “...princess?”

Yes, that was Tae-jun. He hadn’t left the cave at all, but come further in, and found himself here. Why would he—? No, it was no use trying to understand him. But Yona had taken him as a hostage, and that meant she was responsible for his safety. Hesitantly, she put one foot forward, then the other, feeling for the uneven steps in the darkness. “Tae-jun? Stay where you are. Call out to me again—I’ll find you!” Two more slow steps, then— “Aaah!” A hand touched her shoulder. “Tae-jun?” She tried to turn around, to see who it was who held her—though seeing a face would have been impossible in this darkness—but the man gripped her arm so tight she couldn’t move. Not Tae-jun. 

“Did you get lost?”

“Yes,” Yona admitted. “Do you know the way out?”

“I'll take you there.” He pushed her forward, never loosening his hold.

“Ah, wait!” Yona tried to resist, but the man kept pushing her forward. “There's someone else—I think someone else is lost down here, too!”

“You’ll see him soon,” said the man, and a shiver ran down Yona’s back. He wasn’t leading her out.

“Stop!” She struggled against his grip. “Help! Soo-won!” It was no use, she couldn’t escape. “Hak!” Why had she called out to Hak? Hak wasn’t even here. “Someone, help!”

Then she heard the sound of bells, and felt a gentle hand take hers.

Her kidnapper froze in place and his hand fell away. “L-lord Seiryuu,” he began. “Take care of this one, too.” The way he said  _ take care _ , Yona knew exactly what he meant—but somehow she felt safe with this newcomer. Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, and she saw what looked like white hair and the shadow of a mask. It should have been a terrifying sight, but Yona wasn’t afraid anymore.

Seiryuu spoke. “She’s…”

“This is your fault,” said the man, regaining his composure. “They came looking for you. Their leader claimed he met you before, but you let him escape! You know what must be done.”

“I’ll...take care of her,” said Seiryuu. “So...go.”

The kidnapper’s footsteps pattered away into the darkness. Then Yona felt the gentle tug of Seiryuu’s hand, pulling her in the same direction. Back toward the surface. To safety. He really— 

“W-wait!” Seiryuu stopped moving. “There’s someone else. That man said—you know where he is, don’t you? I’m—” After what had just happened, she didn’t want to say it. She wanted to return to the light as soon as possible. “I’m not leaving until I find him.”

“...those who seek out Seiryuu’s power...are evil.”

So that was what happened. Tae-jun had made his move, trying to claim the dragon’s power for himself before Yona found him. And Heuk-chi had played along, allowing Yona and her companions to believe Tae-jun simply fled. “He’s…” Once, Yona might have called Tae-jun evil. “I came here for you too, Seiryuu,” she said. “I’m no different.”

“You…” He squeezed tighter, and Yona could feel the tension in his hand. “He was...with you?”

“Sort of,” said Yona. “It's complicated. But it’s my duty to protect him.”

“Then...come.” 

Seiryuu led her down slowly, his gentle hand guiding her every step of the way. Though she still had no idea how far it went, the dark stairway didn’t frighten her so much with him beside her. “Your power is in your eyes, right?” Yona tried to make conversation as they went. “So you can see in the dark?” Seiryuu didn’t answer. Yona supposed it was a silly question. “Um, do you remember Jae-ha? The green dragon? I'm sure he didn't mean to get you in trouble when he said he was your friend.”

“...friend?”

“He’s here now. He brought me to you. He wanted to see you again, too.”

Seiryuu didn’t reply. Finally, the stairs leveled out again, and Seiryuu stopped moving. “Wait,” he said.

“I’m coming, too.”

“There are...sinkholes. I can only carry one.”

Yona shuddered and nodded, feeling Seiryuu’s hand slip out of hers. “Tae-jun?” she called out. “Can you hear me? Someone’s coming for you!”

“P-princess?” His voice echoed through the cave, coming from much, much further down. “Go back! Get out of here while you still can!”

She heard the panic in his voice. “It’ll be alright,” she tried to reassure him. In the darkness, she could only guess how many minutes slipped by. Then, finally, she heard two sets of returning footsteps. “Tae-jun! You’re safe!” It shouldn’t make her this happy to see him alive again, but leaving someone to starve or suffocate in these depths was a fate she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. “Seiryuu, thank you!” She could still barely make out his shadowy form, but instinct kicked in and she hugged him anyway. “Thank you so much!”

“Ah…”

“P-princess, get away from him!” said Tae-jun. “He's dangerous!”

“Tae-jun,” Yona began, remembering her kidnapper's words from earlier, not sure if she wanted to know the answer. “Did Seiryuu trap you down here?”

“I...told him King Hiryuu needed his power. Then he attacked me! And—I ran. Princess, there are  _ bones _ down there! I'd have—”

“Well, this time, Seiryuu is taking us to safety.” Hesitantly, she looked up at Seiryuu. “...right?”

“I...shouldn't,” Seiryuu murmured. “You're intruders. Intruders...must be killed. Why…?”

“You—you got him to talk. Princess, hurry, let's escape while we still can, let's—”

“Who is she?”

“Aah!” Tae-jun jumped at Seiryuu's direct address.

“Why do I want to help her? She said...she's like you. But…”

“...no,” Tae-jun replied. “Yona is nothing like me.”

* * *

They returned to the cave’s main entrance to find the others frantic with worry—and surrounded by dozens of masked villagers. “Yona!” Yoon cried out. “You’re safe!”

“Kija was just about to start tearing these men apart,” said Jae-ha. Then his eyes fell on Tae-jun.

“You!” Kija shouted. “You tried to kill the princess a second time?”

“Kija, no!” Yona protested. “We both got lost in the cave. Seiryuu rescued us.”

Seiryuu, behind his mask, looked from Yona to Tae-jun. “He’s...your enemy? Then why…?”

“I couldn't leave him alone in the darkness.” She looked at Seiryuu. He still hid his face behind a mask, but she could see him better now. What she had mistaken for hair was actually white fur, and as she looked, a little squirrel peered out from underneath. Yona's eyes widened. So cute! “That goes for you, too, Seiryuu,” she said. “Come with me.”

“He can't,” said a harsh voice. “You don't know. Seiryuu is a monster. His power cannot be used by the outside world.”

Yona whirled around to face the villager. “A monster? It was one of  _ you _ who tried to shut me away!” She turned back to Seiryuu. “I don't know what your power is. But you saved me—you’re  _ not _ a monster. Jae-ha called you a friend. Seiryuu, I'd like to be your friend too. Won't you come with us?” She stretched out her hand. And then, tentatively, Seiryuu reached out and took it in his own.

* * *

“So that was a dragon’s village,” said Soo-won as the group, now one member bigger, descended the rocky mountainside.

“ _ That _ was not a dragon’s village,” said Kija. “That was—” 

“That was a dragon’s village,” said Jae-ha. “Seiryuu, I—I’m sorry. I should never have left you here.” He shook his head. “You don't even have a  _ name.” _

“That's right,” said Yona. “What would you like to be called?” Seiryuu didn't answer. “If you don't know, then...can we choose?”

Seiryuu nodded. “You,” he said. “You...can choose.”

“I wonder how many generations of dragon warriors wasted away in hiding,” Soo-won mused. “Jae-ha left and used his powers for the people of the kingdom, but Kija and Seiryuu—was it always like this?”

“My village and Seiryuu’s are nothing alike,” Kija protested. “I was treated well. I wasn't locked away; I was was waiting for Hiryuu.”

“Who’s...Hiryuu?” Seiryuu asked.

“From the center of the group, well surrounded, Tae-jun spoke up. “Yona,” he said. “It’s you, isn’t it? Somehow, it’s really you.”

“I'm not—”

“I know I won't be returning home with any dragon warriors, at any rate,” he said. 

“Good,” said Yona, choosing to address the more urgent matter and ignore the Hiryuu question. “Then you won’t try anything like that again.”

“Do you still trust him enough to keep him with us?” Soo-won asked.

“More than I trust him to send him back,” said Yona, and Soo-won nodded. It wasn’t a permanent solution, but it would give them time to find Ouryuu, and come up with something better. 

“You’ll be in more danger if you keep me prisoner,” said Tae-jun. “I—I can’t just disappear! I’m the second son of—”

“You can’t return until I know I can trust you not to do  _ anything _ that would put me or my friends in danger,” said Yona. “That means keeping Jae-ha’s secret, too.”

“Of course,” said Tae-jun. “I won’t—” He stopped. Looked at Heuk-chi. “What am I  _ saying? _ ” he asked himself. “That's treason, that's—”

“Thank you, Tae-jun,” said Yona, before he could finish that thought. “I hope I can count on you soon.”

In the silence that followed, Kija spoke up. “Seiryuu,” he said. “Do you truly know nothing of Hiryuu and the four dragons?” Seiryuu shrugged. “Then I shall tell you all about them. After all, we're brothers now…”

Yona kept to herself as they kept walking, pondering what sort of name to give to Seiryuu. She considered going to Soo-won, who was so good with words, or Jae-ha, who had spent time with him before, but Seiryuu had said it should come from her. By the time dusk fell, no ideas had come to her, and she decided to set it aside for a while. 

She woke in the night to see Tae-jun sitting upright and visibly shaking. “Did you have a nightmare?” Yona whispered.

“Seiryuu—” The blue dragon was just visible in the darkness, walking away from the camp—the same shadowed silhouette he’d cast in the darkness of the caves. “I can’t believe you weren’t frightened down there,” he said.

“I was afraid,” said Yona. “Before Seiryuu came.” But, she reminded herself, Seiryuu was the one who had driven Tae-jun into that dark place. “He only did what he thought he had to do, to protect his village,” said Yona. “You don’t need to be afraid anymore.” Tae-jun only shuddered. “Tae-jun,” Yona began. “What you did was brave, too. Telling me to run away to safety rather than come for you—that was brave.” Seiryuu had been with her then, and Yona wasn’t in any danger, but Tae-jun hadn’t known that. 

Tae-jun looked down and shook his head. “It didn’t feel brave.”

“But you don’t have to worry about the darkness tonight,” said Yona. “After all, the moon—” She broke off as the realization hit her. “Ah, thank you, Tae-jun!”

“...Yona?” 

She stood up and ran in the direction Seiryuu had gone, ignoring Tae-jun as he called after her. There was no need to fear the darkness in the gentle light of the moon. “Shin-ah,” she called out as she came to him under the bright open sky. “Your name is Shin-ah.”


	12. Chapter 11

Jae-ha jumped, leaving the others behind him as he followed the feeling of the blue dragon’s presence. It still felt strange to be seeking out the other dragons rather than running away. Seiryuu hadn’t gone far; he was only on the other side of a little ridge of trees. With his eyes, Jae-ha didn’t doubt he could still see the rest of the group, but he himself was out of view. Privacy. Jae-ha could appreciate the need for that. As Jae-ha landed, Seiryuu sheathed his sword—he’d been practicing—but made no other sign of acknowledgement. 

“Seiryuu—” No, Jae-ha reminded himself, that wasn’t right. Seiryuu had a name now. “I mean, Shin-ah. You said the yellow dragon came to visit you once, didn’t you?” 

Shin-ah nodded, but didn’t elaborate. He’d been quiet the last time they met, too.

“We’re trying to find him again,” Jae-ha explained. “But Kija and I can’t sense his presence. Can you?” Shin-ah paused, then shook his head. “Oh well, worth a try,” said Jae-ha with a light shrug. Shin-ah had already turned away from him, reaching for his sword again. But while Jae-ha had sought him out to ask about Ouryuu, something else weighed on his mind too. “The first time I met you—if I'd asked you then to come with me, to leave your village, would you have?”

Shin-ah was silent for a long time. “No,” he finally said, and relief flooded over Jae-ha—relief which he instantly regretted. Maybe it wasn't his fault that Shin-ah had been left in those caves so long, but it wasn't cause for relief. 

“Because I'm not Yona?” he asked.

Shin-ah nodded. “And...you were there for something else.”

_ Wait, but isn’t that the same as saying it’s because I didn’t ask you? _ Jae-ha didn’t understand the blue dragon, and he wasn’t sure he ever would. But Shin-ah didn’t seem to resent him for it, and maybe that was enough.

Not being able to track Ouryuu was a problem, though. “I hid my presence for years,” Jae-ha said after they’d returned to join the others. “It’s possible Ouryuu just doesn’t want to be found.”

“If he left his village, that would make sense,” said Yoon.

“But…” Jae-ha continued. “Shin-ah, how long ago did Ouryuu come to see you?”

“He came twice,” Shin-ah said. “Once...I was very small. Then, it was...nine years ago.” 

“And Ouryuu, he was an adult then?”

Shin-ah nodded. “I was small, so…” Hard to judge his age, but not a child, Jae-ha took that to mean. He shot a glance at Kija, who nodded. Yona and Soo-won didn’t know the full truth about the nature of the dragons’ cycle, and that wasn’t the sort of thing Jae-ha wanted to explain casually. 

“It’s possible Ouryuu passed on his power,” said Jae-ha. 

“I see…” pondered Yona. “I hope not. I’m sure Shin-ah would like to see him again.” She paused. “I’d like to see Ouryuu too, but if he’s chosen to stay away, I can’t force him. In the meantime, I don’t want to just wait around.”

“But what can we do with—?” Yoon shot a glance at Tae-jun and Heuk-chi, their two hostages. 

And that was the problem. Since his rescue from Shin-ah’s cave, Tae-jun had repeatedly swore that he wouldn’t do anything to harm Yona or to jeopardize her plan. He seemed sincere—and furthermore, the change that had come over him since first learning that Yona was alive was impossible to ignore—but Jae-ha wondered if he really understood the full extent of what Yona and Soo-won meant to do. If the stakes were lower, Jae-ha thought, Tae-jun really might go against his father, but...taking back the throne meant that, sooner or later, Kan Su-jin would have to die. 

“I wonder if we should go back to Ik-soo,” Yoon continued. “He might be able to tell us more about Ouryuu.”

That was the priest who had told Yona to find the dragons, wasn’t it? Jae-ha still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Now that Kija and Shin-ah had joined their party, it was getting harder and harder to say that his decision to help Yona—to leave the life of freedom he’d known for more than a decade and start playing at spying and politics, two decidedly ugly careers—had nothing to do with the dragon’s blood. But feeling that connection was one thing—hearing some priest tell him what it was supposed to mean? Jae-ha still wanted nothing to do with something like that.

Fortunately, it seemed that Yona agreed with him. “Sorry, Yoon,” she said. “I know you miss him, but Ik-soo already told us to find the dragons. I think, if there was anything to say about Ouryuu before we found him, he’d have mentioned it already.”

“It’s not that I miss him…” Yoon protested, his face flushing pink. “But you’re probably right.”

“It seems that Ouryuu will have to wait,” said Soo-won, and Yona nodded. "We should update our friends—” He was being vague in front of Tae-jun and Heuk-chi— “about the current situation.” Tell Hak and Ju-doh that they should be prepared to lead an uprising at any time. “But if we bring those two back with us, we'll lose our advantage.” He paused, thinking to himself. “I'll go alone, then. Jae-ha, Yona, best to wait with the others outside the city until everything is ready.”

“I'm coming too,” said Yona. “This is my fight. I won't wait on the sidelines while you arrange everything for me.” Soo-won paused, then nodded in agreement. “Shin-ah, do you mind waiting with your brothers for a while? I know I just found you.” Shin-ah nodded. Jae-ha guessed he’d go along with whatever Yona asked. 

Though babysitting their hostage prince was hardly appealing, Jae-ha had to admit, selfishly, that he was happy not to be returning to the palace. Feigning loyalty to Su-jin was a chain he was glad to be rid of, even if their position was weaker now. 

“Then, while we wait for you to come back,” said Yoon, “we're not far from a village I know.”

“Your village?” asked Jae-ha.

“No,” said Yoon. “But I used to travel there to treat the sick. If we're waiting for a few days, I'd like to go back there.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, Yoon,” said Yona. “We'll go there together, so Soo-won and I know where to find you when we come back.” 

They reached Katan Village in the early afternoon. It was one of dozens of starving, destitute villages that Jae-ha had seen on his travels, but the first one Yona had seen up close. “I knew why we didn’t stop in any of the villages we passed on our way to Shin-ah’s village,” said Yona. “But this—”

“That would have been taking more hospitality than they could afford and giving nothing in return,” said Yoon. “It’s different this time. We’re staying to help.”

“That’s not...I didn’t know,” said Yona. “I didn’t know it was this bad.”

“Do you want to stay here after all?” Soo-won asked. 

Yona considered, then, sadly, shook her head. “No,” she said. “There’s nothing I can do here that Yoon and the rest of you can’t do better.”

“Then, Yona, let’s go.” Soo-won mounted the horse they had confiscated from Tae-jun, then lifted Yona up behind him, and they sped off towards the capital.

All three dragons watched until Yona and Soo-won vanished from sight. “One of us should have gone to protect her,” Kija finally spoke.

“She’ll be all right,” said Jae-ha. “Soo-won knows what he’s doing. And once she reaches the city, she’ll have Hak as well. It’s best if we’re all here to keep an eye on our prisoners.”

“Right,” said Yoon, turning away from the dust settling on the road. “Let’s get to work.”

* * *

Tae-jun was sure they had to be joking.  Three of the dragon warriors of legend planned to wait around doing  _ farm work _ until Yona returned? But after humoring them for almost an hour, Tae-jun finally had to admit that they were serious about this. And that Ryokuryuu, for some reason, seemed happier doing menial farm labor than serving at the king’s side. Even Heuk-chi had taken it upon himself to join in helping the villagers make repairs to their broken-down dwellings, which was completely unnecessary. 

“You—you know this is all an act, right?” he finally asked the boy. A crowd of unwashed peasants was gathered around him as he handed out medicines for free. As if a village in the land of fire, the strongest of Kouka’s five tribes, could possibly be this poor. Why, no one could be expected to live here if things were  _ really _ this bad! “The villages always  _ say _ there’s no harvest when the tax collectors come through.”

“Great,” said Yoon. “If these people aren't really sick, you won't mind getting closer to help me out.” Tae-jun took a step back. There was some trick in the boy's words, but he hadn't figured it out yet. “Or if you're not going to work, go figure out where these villagers are hiding their supposed secret wealth.”

He’d do that. Letting him search the village on his own—they didn’t even know how to keep him hostage properly! If he didn't owe it to Yona to cooperate, it would be so easy to escape. Then Tae-jun remembered that the scary blue dragon could probably see him no matter where he went, and even if he’d still had his horse, Ryokuryuu could easily catch up to him. And people with powers like that thought Yona was Hiryuu. Yona was—well, Yona was everything, but Hiryuu? Hiryuu should be a great warrior king, not a helpless girl who led her dragons on a misguided quest to upset the proper order of things. Perhaps if he could show her the truth of this place, then she’d understand. Then she and her dragons could all come home with him and everything would be as it should be. 

He slammed open the door to a run-down hut. It clattered off its hinges. Inside the hut, two little girls stared up at him with wide eyes. The inside was just as decrepit as the outside.  _ Really? _ Why couldn’t these people take better care of themselves?

“It does that sometimes,” said one of the girls. “I’ll show you how to prop it back up.”

“Ah, sorry…” What was he apologizing for? They should be the ones apologizing, for knowing their door did that and keeping it in such disrepair. But he found himself nodding, lifting the shoddy wood back onto its hinges as the little girl pointed out what to do.

“Thank you, my lord!” said the other little girl.

At least they were polite enough to recognize him as a noble! The other villagers had given him nothing but dirty looks. He waved her thanks aside. “I’m the one who broke—” No, what was he saying? They were the ones with a stupid, broken house. They _should_ be thanking him!

“I mean for the dragons!”

“...what?” 

“Everyone was saying that nothing would change, but  _ I _ thought if the general became King Hiryuu, then the four dragons would take care of everything and it would all get better! And I was right! Do you know King Hiryuu, mister? Tell him thank you!” 

For a moment, Tae-jun was speechless. Couldn’t she see that dragon warriors didn’t belong in a place like this? Ah, but now he had proof that the villagers spoke against his father. “Where are your parents?” he asked.

“Father's in the army,” said the girl. “Mother went to work in Saika so she could send money back. Sir, is Saika going to be the capital of the whole kingdom now? Do you think she'll be able to find a job soon?”

“Uh…” What did the one have to do with the other? “No, the whole point was to take back Hiryuu Castle.” He had to stop letting these kids direct the conversation. If their parents weren't here, then… “Who said that King Su-jin wouldn't make things better?”

“Uh...everyone?”

“Well, you tell them—” Tell them what? It wasn’t as if they were wrong—it was the duty of the people to support their general, their king, not the other way around. So why did it seem like dissent when they said it?

“Don't need to tell them, silly! Everyone can see the dragon warriors are helping now!”

And, of course, the dragons had not been sent here by his father. But— “They're not even doing anything ordinary soldiers couldn't do! Why, I bet even I could—do you have any tools?” The younger girl nodded and scrambled off, returning with a toolbox almost too heavy for her to carry. It took him almost an hour, but eventually, Tae-jun was able to repair the door so it wouldn't fall off its hinges again. “I'm famished,” he said when he was finished, wiping his brow. “Give me something to eat.”

“Um…” The girls looked at each other. “We have a potato. We were saving it for later, but we can share it with you now.”

“Share...a potato.”

The older girl looked down. “The hens didn't lay any eggs today, so…”

“Ah, no, just...keep your potato.” Tae-jun beat a hasty retreat. The door swung shut behind him and for a moment he wondered what good a sturdy door was to people who had so little. Anyone else, he'd suspect of holding out on him, but those girls had been smiling and happy and really, truly grateful. “Yoon!” Where was that boy? 

Still treating the sick, like he had been hours ago. “Decide to help out after all?”

“Where’s the village chief?” Tae-jun demanded. “I need to reprimand him.”

“For forgetting to pay taxes?” Yoon asked, rolling his eyes. “It’ll have to wait.”

“No,” said Tae-jun. “For not even taking care of his own people! Two little girls back there have no parents and only a potato to eat!”

For a moment Yoon just gaped at him. “You think the rest of this village is doing any better?” he finally asked. “I grew up in a village like this,” he said. “There were times when a single potato was my most prized possession.”

“Don’t be overdramatic,” said Tae-jun. He glanced around the village again. They couldn’t  _ all _ be that bad off. Sure, it looked that way, but…

...he had to admit, going to so much trouble to make the village  _ look _ worse off than it really was...wasn’t the simplest answer. “...there’s really no food?” he finally asked.

“Crops don’t do well here,” said Yoon. “It’s your land too. You should know that.”

“Then there’s nothing to be done,” Tae-jun concluded. Yoon didn’t have to act all high-and-mighty like it was Tae-jun’s fault. 

That evening they camped outside the village, and he was reminded once again that he was meant to be their prisoner. How many days  would there be of this until Yona returned? “You’re not eating,” Heuk-chi commented.

He poked at his stew. “Neither is anyone else.” Yesterday Tae-jun had complained plenty about this fare—it was, objectively, disgusting. But...a single potato. If Yona were here, she’d probably carry her bowl back to the village and give it to those girls. Which would be stupid. It wasn’t like they had enough to feed everyone. He took a bite and frowned. Yona had been so sad when she saw the village. She was naive, and didn't understand the realities at play, but…was it really wrong, to wish for everyone here to have a better life?

Midmorning the next day, hoofbeats approached the village. Was Yona back already? No, that was the sound of many horses, and armored men riding them. “Crap!” Yoon said. “Tax collectors. You three rare beasts, keep Tae-jun and Heuk-chi out of sight. If they see them here—”

“Got it,” said Jae-ha, grabbing Tae-jun and jumping behind a nearby house. He could still hear what was going on. One of the village elders was protesting that the tax was too high, that the village would starve. Tae-jun knew that everyone in the tribe was taxed this much, so it was hardly unfair, but...it was hard to imagine this village having anything to spare.

“Hey!” a new voice spoke up. A child—one of the girls from yesterday. “The king is supposed to be helping us now! He sent his dragons! You can’t take everything away!”

“As if the king would send his dragons to a blight on the map like this place,” the tax collector scoffed. Then he paused. “But if that's so, you'll be taxed extra for their service.”

“That's not fair!”

Then he heard the sound of an armored hand hitting a soft target, a shriek, and a thump. Before Tae-jun fully processed what had happened, Jae-ha let him go and leapt back over the hut. What was the green dragon thinking? If Yona came back and found all her protectors arrested, or worse—

Tae-jun stepped out into the street before Jae-ha could do anything that would put the princess in danger. “Highness!” exclaimed the official. Tae-jun recognized him, vaguely.

“As you can see, the girl was right,” he said, “We’re taking care of this village. You're not needed, so, um, go back to your outpost.”

“With respect, Highness, this is only the first village on our circuit—”

“Then you can leave your supplies here, too. Haven't you heard? I've been sent in an important mission with the dragon warriors. You're not needed.” The official frowned. “Think of it as a vacation,” Tae-jun added.

“Ah...right, your Highness.” And with that, the tax collector and his guards unloaded their supply cart just as Tae-jun had asked, then turned and departed the village.

Yoon was already by the fallen girl’s side. “What was that?” Jae-ha asked, looking down at Tae-jun with a strange expression on his face.

“I—”  _ Yes, what was that?  _

“You could have escaped, just then,” said Jae-ha. “Or at least told them the truth.”

Oh. That—that was a good point. As he was fumbling for an explanation that still eluded him, Yoon stepped back from the girl, who looked up at Tae-jun with a smile on her face. She’d be all right. Yoon glanced over at the crates of travel rations left behind by the soldiers. “You know,” he said, “you’ve made yourself her hero.”

_ A hero. _ Tae-jun liked the sound of that. But he knew it wasn’t him, or his father, who had brought this village the help they needed. Yona had led them here. It wasn’t like Tae-jun wanted to help her—she was trying to start a rebellion. He wanted to show her she was wrong to do so...but more than that, he wanted to see her smile. Oh, how he longed to see her smile at him. If Yona saw what he’d done here...could he be her hero, too?

* * *

Yona clung tight to Soo-won’s back as they rode away from Katan Village. “I didn’t know,” Yona said. “I didn’t know just how bad things were.”

“Yoon will take good care of them, I’m sure of it,” said Soo-won. Yona knew he was right, but riding away from them still felt wrong. 

They didn't reach Kuuto that night, instead camping in that same hidden site where Yona and Hak had found Ju-doh barely a week ago. It felt like so much longer than that. She’d just come from Chi’shin, from meeting with General Geun-tae to incite rebellion. Yona had dragons on her side and people who would follow her, but...she thought back to the village they’d just left behind. She’d set out to take back the throne of her kingdom, and she still didn’t know what her people went through every day. Didn’t know how to help them.

Yona couldn’t sleep. She reached for her bow and walked a little distance from the camp, losing herself in her practice under the moonlight. Every arrow hit its mark, until a hand on her shoulder startled her and made her shot fly wild. “S-soo-won!”

“You’ve gotten much better!” he said. Yona remembered how he would sometimes join her in practice back at the palace. That seemed like a game, now. 

“I have to become stronger.” Another arrow hit the tree. “Soo-won,” Yona began. “You knew things were this bad. Why didn’t you let me see?” She shot again. If she looked him in the eye, she wasn’t sure she could keep talking. “I remember—I would ask you about the state of the kingdom. You gave me history books.”

“Yona, there was nothing you could have done back then.”

“You didn’t know that!” It was true her father had never let her leave the castle, never let her have a say in policy. When even the king hadn’t interfered with the government of the other tribes, what could Yona have done? “Tae-jun used to court me,” she said. “I could have used that!”

“That?” He started at the suggestion. “You’d have given away far more than you gained. Yona…” Behind her, Soo-won took a deep breath, and Yona finally turned to face him. “You're stronger than I knew. It was a mistake, I think, not to confide in you. Together we might have been strong enough to change things before it was too late.”

She lowered her bow. “Thank you, Soo-won,” she said. “You wanted to protect me, didn’t you?” From facing what she wasn’t prepared to face, from tearing herself apart out of hopelessness. “For a while I thought—seeing everything you did without me—I feared you thought I was useless.”

“Never.” He reached out a hand, gently resting it on her shoulder. “Both of us should rest,” he said. “We’ll be in Kuuto tomorrow.” Yona nodded, and together they retrieved her arrows and returned to their camp. “Yona,” Soo-won said. “Shall I hold your hand while we sleep, for old times’ sake?” Yona smiled, and nodded. Once this would have made her too nervous to fall asleep, but now, having Soo-won by her side was exactly what she needed.

Just as she was about to drift away into sleep, a question surfaced in Yona’s mind. “Soo-won,” she whispered. “Before it was too late to what?” Stop Su-jin's army? But he'd tried that, tried to ask for Geun-tae's support. Yona wouldn't have been able to help him with that back then, she knew that. So what…?

But Soo-won was already sound asleep, and gave her no answer.

They entered Kuuto early the next morning, sneaking in through hidden routes past guarded gates. They left the horse at a stable near the edge of the city, a hushed whisper the only payment given. Yona was reminded once again that Soo-won had far more connections than she knew. She hadn’t explored the city all that much before leaving in search of Shin-ah, but it seemed different now. Were the guards at the gates new? Or had they just been easier to ignore on the way out? 

“What happens next?” Yona whispered to Soo-won. “The city is full of Fire Tribe soldiers. What kind of an army—?” Even before its defeat, the Sky Tribe’s army had been all but nonexistent. Even if every one of those soldiers could be persuaded to join their rebellion, there was no way they could defeat the full army of the Fire Tribe, even if they were no longer allied with Li Hazara. A civil war like that would tear the country apart.

“Look closely,” said Soo-won. “Their presence here is a show. Most of the soldiers have already left the city.”

That...that might be true. Yona couldn’t tell. The big deal the guards were making at the gates, it certainly caught one’s attention, primed one to be on alert for a military presence everywhere. But now that Soo-won pointed it out...if Yona were to walk through the city with her red hair in full view, with only Hak by her side, she wouldn’t be afraid. Only a few soldiers actually walked the city streets, though they wore full armor and made sure everyone knew who they were. “But I hope to meet the army elsewhere,” Soo-won continued.

“Hak and Ju-doh, they can't be training soldiers inside the city, right?”

Soo-won shook his head. “We'll go to them soon. First, I'm hoping to meet with an informant from the palace.”

“...oh?” So even with Jae-ha's cover blown, Soo-won hadn't lost access to all that information. Good.

“He’ll probably be happy to see you, too!”

But when pressed, Soo-won wouldn’t say who this mysterious informant could be. He kept her guessing all the way to a tavern that Yona had faint memories of from her childhood excursions into town. Sitting inside, in a dark corner, his face obscured even further by a hood, was… “Min-soo?” Yona exclaimed, pulling back her hood running through the nearly-vacant common room to embrace her father's page. 

He smiled up at her, then handed a small purse to the woman seated beside him, who rose and made to leave. “Princess! Lord Ryokuryuu told me you were alive, but I'm so glad to see you myself!”

“So you're helping, too. I'm so glad!” The door shut behind the young woman and they were alone.

“Who was that?” Soo-won asked. 

“A refugee from Awa, in the Earth Tribe,” said Min-soo. “She gave me some good info on the state of the tribe. Lord Soo-won, it's bad. I don't know if you'll be able to count on help from General Geun-tae at this point.”

“Did you say Awa?” At Min-soo’s nod, Yona raced outside and cast her eyes about for the woman. “You there! You're from Awa?” The woman turned back, nodding. “What's happening in Awa? Why did you have to leave?”

“I told him everything already,” the woman replied.

“Just—Captain Gi-gan. Isn’t she helping the town?”

The woman looked down. “Lord Kum-ji arrested her. He charged her pirates with the kidnappings, even though everyone knows he’s the one—”

Yona gasped. “No! She’s—”

“That’s when I fled,” said the woman. “You knew her? I’m sorry,” she said. “But she’s scheduled for public execution.”

_ Public execution.  _ Her father’s face flashed before her eyes.  _ No! _ She ran back inside the tavern, forgetting to even thank the woman. “We have to go back, I have to tell Jae-ha!” Soo-won shot her a questioning look; Min-soo must not have told him everything yet. “They're going to kill Captain Gi-gan!” Yona only had faint memories of the pirate captain who had kept her safe for one brief night long ago, but she knew that Gi-gan had done as much to save her life back then as Jae-ha had. 

“Yona,” said Soo-won. “Awa is days away.”

_ She’s probably already dead. _ That was what his words meant. “Jae-ha can get there faster.” She wouldn’t let herself believe that it was too late.

“Think of the bigger picture.”

“No!” The fierceness in her voice surprised even herself. “I mean—I am. I’ll go back alone. You don’t really need me here. I came because I wanted to be useful, but if I don’t do everything I can to protect the people I care about, then what good is anything else?” She still hadn’t talked to Soo-won about the night she fled Kuuto the first time. “Soo-won, I was there when Father—when he—” 

Soo-won's eyes widened, and he reached out a hand to take hers—but he didn't look like he was going to change his mind, so she pulled away. “My lord,” Min-soo murmured, “you need the Earth Tribe. This could help.”

Finally, Soo-won nodded. “Take the horse, and be as quick as you can. Be careful.”

“I will.”

Yona pulled her hood back up over hair and stepped outside alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! We're [fallenwithstyle](http://fallenwithstyle.tumblr.com) and [hanyounomiko](http://hanyounomiko.tumblr.com) on tumblr if you'd like to come say hi.


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